Latest news with #AyobKhanMydinPitchay
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- Health
- New Straits Times
NST Leader: Malaysia's drug-laced vape crisis
Whether we like it or not, we must acknowledge that Malaysia is facing a vape crisis. We can't claim to be surprised. Malaysia's Health and Morbidity Survey, as long ago as 2022, alerted the nation of the growing danger: 14.9 per cent of school students aged 13-17 were vape users. Three states have done the wise thing. Perlis, Terengganu and Johor have either banned vaping or stopped issuing licences to vape traders. But Malaysia isn't just the three states. A nationwide ban is needed if we want to save our teenagers from ruining their lives, and simultaneously protecting the nation's future. True, as lawyers point out, there is a chance for state laws to be in conflict with federal laws to the extent the former aren't consistent with the latter as spelt out in Article 75 of the Federal Constitution. A nationwide ban will avoid this. What takes a country to a good place? Human resources — the educated and healthy ones. Both of these are a challenge when Malaysians start vaping as early as 12. The vape industry is big. According to the Malaysian Vape Industry Study 2023 by the Malaysian Vape Chamber of Commerce, the business was worth RM3.48 billion in 2023. There were 306 vape industry players in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Melaka and Penang alone in 2022. The industry as a whole employed 31,500 people, more than double that of 2019. The study also revealed that there were 1.4 million adult vape users. Sure, traders and workers will be impacted. But why perpetuate an unhealthy — even a dangerous — trade that will only cost the government more in health bills later? Isn't prevention better than cure? Prevention was also in the mind of Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, when, on April 17, he urged other states to ban vaping. His call to action is not about a future threat, but a present danger. The police are detecting more and more vape use being linked to synthetic drug abuse, he told reporters. A worrying 65 per cent of vape contents had methamphetamine and ecstasy, two drugs favoured by teenagers. Students as young as 13 years old were found using vape devices containing liquids mixed with drugs. Welcome to the world of drug-laced vapes, known as "Kpods", whose deceptive flavours lead the young into the venomous world of zombies. One puff and the rest is an addled-mind story. Little do the teenagers realise the long-term neurological and organ damage such "zombie" drugs cause. If this isn't worrying enough, vape-drug processing laboratories are being discovered around the country. On April 16, the police uncovered a drug laboratory in Kedah processing vape liquids containing drugs. The processed drugs were meant for distribution in Kedah, Penang and the Klang Valley. The police arrested 61 people and seized RM6 million worth of drugs in the raid. If drug syndicates used to import them from the Golden Triangle, they have now set up drug processing labs here, with generous help from greedy locals.
Free Malaysia Today
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
State-level vape bans misdirected, says ex-Sarawak top cop
Calls for vape bans emerged after deputy inspector-general of police Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said vapes had become increasingly linked to the abuse of new synthetic drugs. PETALING JAYA : The authorities should focus on taking down the syndicates behind narcotics-laced vapes instead of penalising the legal vape market, says former Sarawak police chief Yusoff Nook. In a statement today, he said recent calls for state-level bans were misdirected as they did not address the 'real source of harm'. 'These products are not sold by licensed players. They're sold online by criminals operating in the shadows. 'State-level bans on vape shops won't stop this. If anything, they punish the visible and regulated segment of the market while doing nothing to touch underground networks,' he said. Yusoff called on the authorities to instead act against drug syndicates under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2001, with stronger criminal enforcement, targeted raids, and cross-border intelligence sharing. Calls for nationwide and statewide bans emerged in recent months after deputy inspector-general of police Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said vapes had become increasingly linked to the abuse of new synthetic drugs. Terengganu and Perlis banned vape sales from Aug 1, joining Johor and Kelantan which imposed their own bans in 2016 and 2015 respectively. Perak aims to follow suit in October, while the other states are still considering the matter. The Pahang government has moved to ban the use of vapes as a whole. Segamat MP R Yuneswaran also urged the government to impose a nationwide ban, citing 'alarming' data and mounting concerns that inaction could lead to long-term health crises and an overwhelmed public healthcare system. Yusoff said licensed retailers adhered to the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024, which strictly regulates product registration, price approvals, and retail licensing. 'Licensed players are subject to inspections and oversight. The ones flooding our streets and social media with narcotic vapes? They are not part of that system. They are traffickers. 'Let's stop conflating legal vaping with narcotics. This is a criminal abuse of a product, not a failure of regulation or the industry,' he said.
Focus Malaysia
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Focus Malaysia
New IGP Khalid has a mountain to prove critics wrong he could fare better than people's idol Ayob Khan
THERE seems to be so much politics surrounding the recent appointment of Datuk Seri Khalid Ismail as Malaysia's 15th Inspector General of Police (IGP). This comes about as online debate rages as to why current Deputy IGP Datuk Seri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay who has a big fanbase for his 'straight forward, no-nonsense and God-fearing demeanour' was overlooked although he has helmed the current post for two years since June 23, 2023. To begin with, Khalid who is already at a retired age of 60 has been given a two-year contract effective June 23, 2025 till June 22, 2027 (Ayob Khan is one year Khalid's junior). The public discontent which overshadows congratulatory messages for the successor to Tan Sri Razarudin Husain, 62, whose term ends today (June 22) centres on concerns of him being a political tool to the Madani government whose popularity has taken a severe hit ever since the May 23 PKR central leadership polls. A browse on the Facebook pages of Polis Diraja Malaysia (Royal Malaysia Police) and Friends Of PDRM is enough to capture the ground sentiment of the anger and disappointment of the masses who aspire the police force to have a capable and proven righteous leader. Further compounding concerns of Khalid being a potential front to the government of the day was a gaffe by Malay news portal Sinar Harian in his profile which mentioned Khalid as 'a PKR Central Leadership Council member, Kedah PKR leadership council chairman and UMNO Sungai Petani committee member'. Although Sinar Harian has apologised for the oversight, this has raised furore among some Pakatan Harapan (PH) backers who deemed the action as 'clearly intentional by borrowing' the biodata of Dewan Rakyat speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul. 'I hope the MCMC (Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission) and KDN (Home Ministry) can take firm action against Sinar Harian,' fumed BULETIN RMS (@RajaMohdShahrim). Macam mana kesilapan ni boleh berlaku..?? Jelas disengajakan.. biodata DS Johari Abdul digunakan untuk Ketua Polis Negara yang baru.. Harap MCMC dan KDN ambil tindakan tegas pada Sinar Harian — BULETIN RMS (@RajaMohdShahrim) June 20, 2025 Back to the IGP subject, this Facebook post by former TV3 and NTV7 news presenter Norzie Pak Wan Chek who is currently an editorial advisor at MindQuest Productions Sdn Bhd truly struck the chord as to why many Malaysians are disillusioned that Ayob Khan has been overlooked: Tan Sri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay was not appointed as our next IGP – and I can't hide my disappointment. This isn't about politics. It's about the kind of leadership we should value. The kind built on courage, humility and a deep sense of responsibility. I've interviewed him several times over the years, and I always looked forward to it. Before and after each interview, I truly enjoyed our conversations. He was thoughtful, calm and grounded – never one to chase the spotlight but always clear on his duty. And more than anything, he came across as a man who truly fears God. That kind of moral compass is rare. He faced down organised crime, drug syndicates and extremism – not from the sidelines but right in the thick of it. And he did it with quiet dignity. Malaysians saw that. We trusted him. Because he didn't just wear the uniform – he honoured it. So yes, this decision stings. Because when someone has already earned the people's respect, what more should it take? But maybe that's the point. Maybe real leadership doesn't always need a title. Maybe it's enough to know that someone like Tan Sri Ayob Khan stood for what is right and still does. And in the hearts of many, that will always count for more. ♥️– June 22, 2025
Free Malaysia Today
20-06-2025
- Health
- Free Malaysia Today
Cabinet mulls crackdown on drug-laced vapes on social media
Police said electronic cigarettes and vapes have become increasingly linked to the abuse of new synthetic drugs. PETALING JAYA : Putrajaya is looking to crack down on the sale of banned substances on social media, including drug-laced vape devices, says government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil. At a press conference, Fahmi said the matter was brought up by domestic trade and cost of living minister Armizan Mohd Ali at today's Cabinet meeting. 'The Cabinet was informed today by Armizan regarding the sale of illegal products online, including items that can be classified as drugs or narcotics, and those misused with vape devices,' he said. Fahmi said he will meet Armizan and health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad soon to discuss the implementation of enforcement measures on the issue. 'After our meeting, we will present the outcome to the Cabinet and take action either on those selling the products or the platforms that allow such products to be sold,' said the communications minister. Previously, deputy inspector-general of police Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said electronic cigarettes and vapes have become increasingly linked to the abuse of new synthetic drugs. He said students as young as 13 years old have been caught using vapes containing substances mixed with drugs, and urged more states to ban the sale of vapes and e-cigarettes. Ayob also said fentanyl has also been detected in vape liquids, with effects 100 times stronger and more dangerous than morphine and 20 to 40 times stronger than heroin.
The Star
15-06-2025
- The Star
Virtually violated
Today, the threat has evolved. Explicit and intimate non-consensual imagery can now be fabricated entirely through AI without the victim's knowledge or participation. FOR over a decade, cases of non-consensual intimate imagery online were often linked to blackmail by loan sharks, spurned lovers and others. Victims were threatened with the release of private images – often taken through coercion or during past intimate relationships – unless they complied with demands such as repaying loans or enduring acts of revenge, commonly referred to as 'revenge porn'. Today, while elements of blackmail remain, the threat has evolved. Such imagery can now be fabricated entirely through artificial intelligence, using deepfake technology to produce non-consensual pornography without the victim's knowledge or participation. Here are the recent cases: > April 2025: A 16-year-old school student in Kulai, Johor, was arrested by the police for selling deepfake pornographic images on social media. He had superimposed the faces real women and girls onto pictures of naked bodies without consent or knowledge. The boy was taken before the court and had claimed trial, although he pleaded guilty to possessing 14 pornographic images on his mobile phone. > April 2025: Four people were arrested by the police and over 50,000 items were seized that contained child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and adult pornography that was being shared through peer-to-peer networks via online platforms. Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said the arrests were made following a large-scale operation called Op Cyber Guardian that was carried out in Selangor and Pahang. He said among those arrested were an accountant, a technician, a web designer, and a public servant. > May 2025: A woman in Kuala Lumpur fell victim to an extortion scam when she was coerced into sending nude photographs as a form of 'guarantee' for a loan repayment. She had applied for a loan of RM3,000 and provided her personal details before the scammers instructed her to make an upfront payment of RM2,000 as a processing fee. When she was unable to make the payment, the scammers threatened to release her nude photos online unless she complied with their demands. — Compiled by SYED UMAR ARIFF
