Latest news with #BukitMertajam
Free Malaysia Today
a day ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Selected roads in Bukit Mertajam to close this weekend for St Anne's Feast
The St Anne's Feast, observed annually on July 26, attracts thousands of pilgrims from across the country and abroad. (St Anne's Church pic) BUKIT MERTAJAM : Several roads near the minor basilica of St Anne's will be closed from 9am on Saturday to 2pm on Sunday for the annual St Anne's Feast, one of Malaysia's largest religious celebrations. Seberang Perai Tengah police chief Helmi Aris said in a statement today that over 100,000 visitors are expected, with the closures aimed at ensuring smooth traffic flow during the event. The affected stretch is Jalan Kulim, from the Caltex petrol station to the Taman Bukit Indah traffic lights. Motorists from Kulim heading to Bukit Mertajam can detour via Jalan Rozhan or Jalan Sepakat, continuing to Jalan Muhibbah, Jalan Kampung Baru and exiting through Taman B. Those travelling from Bukit Mertajam to Kulim may use Jalan Kampung Baru towards Jalan Berjaya, then onto Jalan Song Ban Kheng, Jalan Kampung Baru, heading towards Alma and Bukit Minyak. Alternatively, Jalan Kampung Batu through Taman B can be used to reconnect to Jalan Kulim. A candlelight procession on Saturday evening (7pm-11pm), will also see closures along Jalan Kampung Baru and Jalan Berjaya. All roads are expected to reopen by 2pm on Sunday. The public is advised to follow traffic police instructions and use alternative routes. The St Anne's Feast, observed annually on July 26, attracts pilgrims from across the country and abroad. The church was elevated to a minor basilica status in 2019, highlighting its global Catholic significance.
Free Malaysia Today
a day ago
- Free Malaysia Today
20 children, including 15-day-old baby, rescued from unlicensed centre
State exco member Lim Siew Khim said five adults believed to be the caretakers were also found at the premises in Bukit Mertajam. (Facebook pic) PETALING JAYA : Twenty children, including a 15-day-old baby girl, were rescued from a warehouse and a house operating as an unregistered learning centre in Bukit Mertajam, Penang, last week. Penang social development and welfare committee chairman Lim Siew Khim said the rescue operation was carried out by the social welfare department (JKM) with the cooperation of the police, following public complaints. 'Those rescued were aged between 15 days and 16 years, comprising 10 boys and 10 girls. 'Initial investigations revealed that 12 children, including the baby, did not have birth certificates. 'Six had valid documents but no parents or guardians, while two have since been placed in the care of close family members,' Lim told a press conference in George Town today. She was quoted by Kosmo as saying a 20-year-old woman, believed to be the biological mother of the baby, was also 'rescued' during the operation. All those rescued are believed to be of various nationalities and primarily spoke Mandarin, with limited proficiency in Malay. Lim said the children are believed to have been deprived of basic necessities, including adequate food, clothing and safe shelter. 'The warehouse was in a filthy condition and completely unsuitable for habitation, especially by children. 'It was neither a care home nor a registered learning centre. Children should not have been there,' she said. During the raid, five adults believed to be acting as caretakers were also found on the premises. They were local individuals, aged over 18, and are currently being investigated by the police. 'Health screenings have also been conducted at Seberang Jaya Hospital with the involvement of JKM psychological officers,' Lim said, adding that a temporary custody order for the children had been granted by the court. Lim said her office had received several public complaints since the end of last year about the centre. However, earlier inspections at the address found no children present.
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Malay Mail
Penang welfare department rescues 20 children, including baby, from shady warehouse ‘centre'
GEORGE TOWN, July 28 — The Penang State Welfare Department (JKM) rescued 20 children, including a 15-day-old baby girl, in a special operation at a warehouse and house in Bukit Mertajam last week. JKM, together with the police, raided the premises, believed to have been turned into an unregistered learning centre, after receiving public complaints about suspicious activities. State social development, welfare and non-islamic religious affairs committee chairman Lim Siew Khim said that after monitoring the premises, JKM observed groups of children entering and leaving the warehouse under suspicious circumstances. The special operation on July 21 found that the children kept at the premises were believed to be deprived of basic needs such as food, clothing, and safe shelter. The warehouse in Bukit Mertajam where the children were rescued. — Picture by Opalyn Mok 'A 20-year-old woman, believed to be the biological mother of the baby girl, was also rescued in the operation,' she said in a press conference today. Lim said the children and woman rescued were believed to be of various nationalities. She said some could converse in Mandarin but had limited proficiency in the Malay language. The rescued children were aged between 15 days and 16 years, and consisted of 10 boys and 10 girls. 'Preliminary investigations revealed that 12 children including the baby do not have birth certificates, six had valid documents but do not have parents or guardians, and two have been handed over to relatives as their legal guardians,' she said. She said the condition of the warehouse was unhygienic and unsuitable for living, especially for children. 'The place is not a care home or an educational centre, children should not be living there,' she said. Lim said five local adults, suspected of acting as guardians of the place, were detained during the raid and are now under police investigation. 'My office had received public complaints since last year but during initial visits and inspections, we did not find any children there,' she said. She said JKM had to continuously monitor the premises before taking further action. The rescued children have been placed in designated safe places after the Bukit Mertajam Court approved temporary custody orders allowing JKM to take the children under its care. 'Health screenings were also conducted at Seberang Jaya Hospital with the involvement of JKM psychologists,' she said. Meanwhile, she said a special task force was set up to coordinate documentation procedures and to investigate the background of each child. 'We are also investigating whether there are elements of neglect that could lead to abuse,' she said. She said each step taken will be in the best interest of the children. As the police are also investigating the matter, Lim urged the public not to speculate on the case.
Malay Mail
6 days ago
- Malay Mail
Penang cops seize over 112kg of ganja worth RM3.72m, arrest four in two Bukit Mertajam raids
GEORGE TOWN, July 24 — Penang police arrested four men, including a Vietnamese national, and seized 112.1 kilogrammes of ganja worth RM3.72 million in two raids carried out in Bukit Mertajam from Tuesday to Wednesday. Acting Penang police chief Datuk Mohd Alwi Zainal Abidin said a team from the state Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) launched an operation from 10am on Tuesday until 3am yesterday, resulting in the arrest of four men aged between 31 and 39. 'In the first raid, police arrested two men in a hotel room and another man in the hotel lobby, who acted as a 'transporter'. An inspection uncovered a canvas bag containing 9,232 grams of ganja and 4,238 grams of ganja buds,' he said at a press conference at the Penang contingent police headquarters today. He added that, following interrogation and intelligence gathered, police arrested a Vietnamese man in Seberang Jaya and brought him to a nearby homestay, which was used by the syndicate as a drug storage facility for smuggling and distribution. He said that during the inspection of the homestay, police seized 105 packages of ganja buds weighing 97.7 kilogrammes. Investigations revealed that the syndicate had been renting the condominium-type unit since last week for RM2,800 a month. Based on investigations, Mohd Alwi said the syndicate sourced its supply of ganja buds from international drug trafficking networks in neighbouring countries, smuggling them into Malaysia via land routes for distribution in Penang and Kuala Lumpur. He said the man acting as a 'transporter' was paid between RM3,000 and RM4,000 for each delivery, and is believed to have completed two trips before being arrested. 'Intelligence indicates that the syndicate has been active since last March. We are now actively tracking down the mastermind and other members of the network, who are believed to still be in the state,' he added. Police also seized RM1,300 in cash and three vehicles — a Toyota Alphard, a Honda City, and a Yamaha Y16ZR motorcycle — with a total estimated value of RM199,300. The drugs seized are believed to be enough to supply approximately 230,000 addicts. 'The three local men arrested tested positive for drugs and have between seven and 13 previous records related to criminal and drug offences. Some had only recently been released from prison for similar offences,' he said. All four suspects have been remanded for seven days until July 29 to assist in investigations under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. — Bernama
Free Malaysia Today
6 days ago
- Free Malaysia Today
4 arrested, RM3.72mil worth of ganja seized in Bukit Mertajam raids
Acting Penang police chief Alwi Zainal Abidin (centre) showing the seized drugs during a press conference at the state contingent police headquarters. (Bernama pic) GEORGE TOWN : Penang police arrested four men, including a Vietnamese national, and seized 112.1kg of ganja worth RM3.72 million in two raids in Bukit Mertajam this week. Acting Penang police chief Alwi Zainal Abidin said a team from the state narcotics criminal investigation department launched an operation from 10am on Tuesday until 3am yesterday, resulting in the arrest of the four men aged between 31 and 39. 'In the first raid, police arrested two men in a hotel room and another man in the hotel lobby who was acting as a transporter. 'An inspection uncovered a canvas bag containing 9,232g of ganja and 4,238g of ganja buds,' he said in a press conference at the Penang contingent police headquarters today. Following interrogation and the gathering of intelligence, police also arrested the Vietnamese man in Seberang Jaya and brought him to a nearby homestay, which was used by the syndicate as a drug storage facility for smuggling and distribution. Alwi said during the inspection of the homestay, police seized 105 packages of ganja buds weighing 97.7kg. Investigations revealed that the syndicate had been renting the condominium-type unit since last week for RM2,800 a month. Investigations also revealed that the syndicate had sourced its supply of ganja buds from international drug trafficking networks in neighbouring countries, smuggling them into Malaysia through land routes for distribution in Penang and Kuala Lumpur. Alwi said the man acting as a transporter was paid between RM3,000 and RM4,000 for each delivery, and was believed to have completed two trips before being arrested. 'Intelligence indicates that the syndicate had been active since last March. We are now tracking down the mastermind and other members of the network, who are believed to still be in the state,' he added. Police also seized RM1,300 in cash, and three vehicles – a Toyota Alphard, a Honda City, and a Yamaha Y16ZR motorcycle – with a total estimated value of RM199,300. The drugs seized are believed to be enough to supply approximately 230,000 addicts. 'The three local men tested positive for drugs and have records of between seven and 13 criminal and drug offences. Some were only recently released from prison for similar offences,' he said. All four suspects have been remanded for seven days until July 29 to assist in investigations under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
