Latest news with #YeeSuetMun
Daily Express
5 days ago
- Daily Express
Taiping prison officer admits he hit inmates, apologises at Suhakam inquiry
Published on: Friday, July 25, 2025 Published on: Fri, Jul 25, 2025 By: Yee Suet Mun, FMT Text Size: Suhakam is holding an inquiry into the alleged abuse of more than 100 inmates at Taiping prison by about 60 wardens on Jan 17. (Facebook pic) Kuala Lumpur: A prison officer has apologised after admitting to hitting inmates during an incident at Taiping prison on Jan 17, saying he lost control after being provoked by insults and threats. Dzulizwar Bakir, who holds the rank of sergeant, said the inmates had hurled vulgarities and threats against the officers' families, which triggered his emotional outburst. '(For) what happened during that incident, I sincerely apologise. I was angry, but I had no intention of injuring or hurting anyone,' Dzulizwar, who was stationed at the prison's main gate, told the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia's (Suhakam) inquiry into the alleged abuse of more than 100 inmates by about 60 wardens during the incident. The commission is investigating claims of brutality that allegedly led to the death of one inmate and injuries to several others. Asked if it was appropriate to use force on inmates simply because they had insulted the prison officers, Dzulizwar replied: 'It's not appropriate.' Earlier, he admitted that he failed to control his emotions after the inmates provoked him and the other officers with explicit words and threats to rape their wives and children. 'If they insulted us, we could still accept it. But it involved family, I couldn't stay quiet,' he said. Asked by Suhakam chairman Hishamudin Yunus whether his actions could be justified under any circumstances, Dzulizwar agreed they could not. He said the inmates' defiance stemmed from their transfer to Block E, which had poorer living conditions, including dirty cells, and the use of bucket toilets, as well as stricter rules. He said many of the inmates had grown accustomed to more lenient discipline at the Bukit Gajah facility from where they were transferred, making them more resistant and agitated following the relocation order. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Daily Express
18-07-2025
- General
- Daily Express
Government sticks to existing stray management policy but open to proposals
Published on: Friday, July 18, 2025 Published on: Fri, Jul 18, 2025 By: Yee Suet Mun, FMT Text Size: Presently captured strays are placed in shelters where they can be reclaimed by their owners, while unclaimed dogs are put up for adoption, says a government spokesman. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA: The government says it will maintain its longstanding trap-reclaim-rehome-dispose (TRRD) approach to managing stray dogs, while remaining open to alternative proposals. The housing and local government ministry said it viewed the TRRD framework as the most practical approach for now, balancing between safeguarding public safety and ensuring strays are treated humanely. Advertisement 'We believe that the structured implementation of the existing TRRD method provides a practical system with potential to improve any shortcomings encountered,' a ministry spokesman told FMT. The spokesman said Putrajaya was open to suggestions but needed to exercise 'extreme caution' when considering alternative proposals. According to the spokesman, the ministry would first need to obtain feedback from other agencies and conduct a comprehensive study into the proposed measures—evaluating their efficacy, time and cost implications, practicality and social acceptance. Local governments are currently guided by a 2014 standard operating procedure (SOP) issued by the ministry, which prescribes the use of the TRRD method for stray management. This involves capturing strays and placing them in shelters from where owners can reclaim their pets. Unclaimed dogs will then be put up for adoption, while the remaining may be put to sleep by a licensed veterinarian. Last November, housing and local government minister Nga Kor Ming assured that euthanasia was only a 'last resort' measure under the TRRD approach. He said only strays that were sick or risked posing a nuisance or danger to the public would be put down. Nga also said the guidelines in force were in line with the Animal Welfare Act 2015, drawn up with input from the veterinary services department, local councils and animal welfare groups. NGOs can hold own trap-neuter-release programmes While it has not formally endorsed the trap-neuter-release (TNR) method mooted by several NGOs, the spokesman said the ministry was not opposed to its implementation—either by the NGOs independently or in collaboration with local councils—-provided it does not lead to complaints about public nuisance or pose safety and health concerns. 'If complaints are received, the local authority, veterinary department and other agencies will act in accordance with current SOPs,' the spokesman added. The ministry said it is presently finalising additional technical requirements to harmonise the implementation of the TRRD approach across local councils nationwide, with a greater emphasis on rehoming and reclaiming dogs wherever possible. The spokesman added that it would continue working with NGOs, veterinary professionals and the public to find practical and long-term solutions that protect both humans and animals. In April, the Global Human Rights Federation (GHRF) submitted a budget proposal for the implementation of a trap-neuter-vaccinate-return-manage method to stray management by local councils nationwide. The NGO proposed a nationwide sterilisation programme, supported by government-funded shelters in every district—where 'problematic' dogs would be housed, while others are neutered, vaccinated, and returned to their original locations. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Daily Express
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Express
Activists slam censorship of LGBTIQ materials
Published on: Wednesday, July 16, 2025 Published on: Wed, Jul 16, 2025 By: Yee Suet Mun, FMT Text Size: Amnesty International Malaysia and Justice for Sisters said censorship under the PPPA fosters discrimination, silences voices, and undermines public understanding. PETALING JAYA: Human rights groups have raised concerns over the censorship of LGBTIQ-related content in Malaysia, warning that it fuels marginalisation, social division, discrimination, and identity suppression. According to a joint report by Amnesty International Malaysia and Justice for Sisters, 13 LGBTIQ-themed items were banned under the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA) 1984 between 2020 and May 2025. These accounted for 42% of the 31 publications banned during that period. Advertisement The bans were distributed across the years as follows: two in 2022, four in 2023 and 2024, respectively, and two in the first five months of 2025. 'We see how morality, public order and national security are used to target LGBTIQ publications, but these are not legitimate justifications,' Justice for Sisters co-founder Thilaga Sulathireh told a press conference on the report's release. She added that the censorship had little to do with morality or safety, saying it was instead aimed at silencing and erasing the community. The report, titled 'Censorship of LGBTIQ Expressions under the PPPA', said the law had become a tool for state-sanctioned discrimination, in violation of international standards on freedom of expression and non-discrimination. It urged the home ministry to halt proposed amendments to the PPPA and instead develop a roadmap toward its repeal, among other recommendations. Amnesty International Malaysia's freedom of expression campaigner Kiran Kaur claimed that the PPPA was being misused to control public narratives and silence legitimate voices. 'Laws like the PPPA cannot be weaponised by authorities to silence LGBTIQ voices and promote harmful narratives rooted in discrimination,' she said, adding that such actions only deepened mistrust and stifled public discourse. Nalini Elumalai, senior programme officer at Article 19 Malaysia, said censorship in Malaysia was not new, but that its current scale was deeply worrying. She added that such censorship made young LGBTIQ people feel invisible and unsafe. 'Young LGBTIQ Malaysians grow up thinking they're alone, that there's something wrong with them. The erasure of their stories creates an unsafe environment. 'Children in Malaysia don't need protection from diversity, they need protection from violence and discrimination,' she said. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Daily Express
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Express
Group submits notice for June 28 anti-corruption rally
Published on: Thursday, June 19, 2025 Published on: Thu, Jun 19, 2025 By: Yee Suet Mun, FMT Text Size: Fakrurrazzi Khairur Rijal (right) with fellow secretariat member Toby Arun Prakash, showing the notice submitted to the police for the June 28 anti-corruption rally. PETALING JAYA: Sekretariat Rakyat Benci Rasuah submitted a notice to the police today on its plan to hold another anti-corruption rally on June 28 in front of the Sogo shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur. The group's coordinator, Fakrurrazzi Khairur Rijal, said the notice was delivered to Dang Wangi police in accordance with the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012, fulfilling the legal requirements for a public gathering. Advertisement Describing the rally as a response to public concern over governance and accountability, the group said peaceful assemblies were a legitimate form of democratic expression. 'We welcome all Malaysians who believe in accountability and justice to stand with us on June 28,' it said. The rally follows a similar protest in January. The organisers said no significant action had been taken since a memorandum was submitted to the government in February, which was received by Sungai Petani MP Taufiq Johari along with 15 other government MPs. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
