logo
Celebrating 235 Years Of Correctional History, From Fort Cornwallis To Modern Prisons

Celebrating 235 Years Of Correctional History, From Fort Cornwallis To Modern Prisons

Barnama15-05-2025

By Erma Idayu Mohd Yusop
GEORGE TOWN, May 15 (Bernama) -- To enhance public understanding of the nation's correctional history and evolution, this year's 235th Prison Day celebration emphasises the establishment of Malaysia's first modern prison.
The first modern prison was set up in 1790 at Fort Cornwallis here during the British colonial era, making it significant in the history of the nation's correctional institutions.
In an exclusive interview with Bernama, Penang Prison director Abd Rauf Lang Pasif said the prison was regarded as modern for its time because of its structured and organised administrative system and that it represented a significant shift from the traditional methods of incarceration used previously.
"Historical records indicate that Malaysia's modern prison system began with the arrival of two prisoners from India. Subsequently, the prisoner population grew as inmates from Sumatra were brought in to help construct the prison and its supporting infrastructure in Penang.
"Two men, Eyeno Deen Sheikdan (also known as Ainuddin Sheidan) and Mohamed Heiant, were brought from Bengal, India, by the British for incarceration. This made them the first two prisoners in Malaysia, marking the beginning of modern prisons in the country," he said.
Abd Rauf said the prisoners were used as cheap labour to build infrastructure and support economic activities and that a second prison was later built at Chowrasta Lines.
However, he said a new facility known as Penang Gold was built and began operations in 1849 due to overcrowding, and it still exists today as the Penang Remand Prison.
"This year, Penang was selected as the host location for the 235th Prison Day celebration for several reasons. One being that the first modern prison was established in this state. Additionally, this choice aligns with our theme, "Peradaban Manusiawi Perkukuh Masyarakat MADANI."

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Filipino families flee Northern Irish home after night of anti-immigrant violence
Filipino families flee Northern Irish home after night of anti-immigrant violence

The Star

time28 minutes ago

  • The Star

Filipino families flee Northern Irish home after night of anti-immigrant violence

Michael Asuro, 26, Michael Sancio, 27, Mariel Lei Odi, 27, Jessa Sagarit 26, whose house was attacked last night and they were evacuated by Ballymena Baptist church, and living now in a caravan, sit on a couch, in Cullybackey near Ballymena, following riots in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, June 11, 2025. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne BALLYMENA, Northern Ireland (Reuters) -Michael Sancio, a resident of the Northern Irish town of Ballymena, said he was woken at midnight on Tuesday by masked men banging loudly on windows. Sancio, his wife and daughter, and a couple who share their house - all originally from the Philippines - grabbed their passports and a few belongings and fled their home, sleeping at a friend's house on Tuesday night. They said they plan to stay further outside the town on Wednesday because they feel unsafe at home. Hundreds of masked rioters attacked police and set homes and cars on fire in the town of 30,000 people for a second successive night on Tuesday. Police are investigating the damaging of property as racially-motivated "hate crimes". "Last night I woke up at 12 midnight because I heard some people outside, and I saw in the window, I saw the other guys wearing a black jacket and black pants, and also they're wearing a mask," Sancio, 27, told Reuters on Wednesday. "They started banging the window of our neighbours so I panicked because I have a daughter inside that house." The rioters smashed the windows of the couple's car that was parked outside the house and set it and a bin on fire, said Sancio, who works at a local bus manufacturer. The violence erupted after two 14-year-old boys were arrested and appeared in court, accused of a serious sexual assault on a teenage girl in Ballymena, a town with a relatively large migrant population located 28 miles (45 km) from Belfast. The charges were read via a Romanian interpreter to the boys, the BBC reported, adding that the lawyer told the court that they denied the charges. Anti-migrant violence is rare in Northern Ireland, which for decades has been more familiar with sectarian violence between resident Catholics and Protestants, including in Ballymena. While a 1998 peace deal largely ended the three decades of bloodshed between Protestants who want to remain under British rule and Catholics favouring a united Ireland, there are still sporadic clashes. 'EXTREME FEAR' Sancio said the masked men told them that they were not targeting Filipino people. Around Ballymena, Filipino residents put stickers of British and Filipino flags on their doors, with messages saying "Filipino lives here" to show they were not Romanian. Union Jack flags regularly fly in the largely pro-British town. Democratic Unionist Party councillor Lawrie Philpott told Reuters that some people who usually don't fly flags had hung Union Jacks outside their homes this week to show they are local. Around 6% of people in Northern Ireland were born abroad, according to government statistics. The foreign-born population in Ballymena is higher, in line with the UK average of 16%, and includes a relatively large Filipino community. Northern Ireland has been broadly welcoming to migrants but that has been tested recently. Violent disorder erupted in Belfast last August as part of anti-immigration protests that swept across several UK cities following the murder of three young girls in northwest England. In the Republic of Ireland, rioting broke out in Dublin in late 2023 during anti-immigrant protests that were triggered by a stabbing attack that left a child seriously injured. Sian Mulholland, a local lawmaker from the Alliance Party, said she was fielding calls from migrant families who in some cases had barricaded themselves into their homes until 0230 on Wednesday morning. "I had been engaging with this community beforehand because the houses they are living in are not fit for purpose. They're (living in) squalor," she told Reuters. Sancio's wife, Mariel Lei Odi, was working a night shift on Tuesday. When she returned home, she was worried about the safety of their two-year-old daughter, she said. "When I (came home to) my husband and chatted about what happened last night: (I said) 'my daughter, my daughter, my daughter. What happened?'," she said. Michael Asuro, who lives in the house with his wife, Jessa Sagarit, said he came to Northern Ireland just under two years ago to seek a better life. Sagarit said she felt traumatised by the events. Police have said they are braced for more violence on Wednesday. As residents boarded up broken windows and doors in Ballymena, the Filipino families wondered about their future and whether they will stay. "We feel extreme fear," Asuro said. (Reporting by Amanda Ferguson and Clodagh Kilcoyne, Writing by Padraic Halpin, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)

Gerik crash: Bus operator's permit revoked
Gerik crash: Bus operator's permit revoked

Sinar Daily

time6 hours ago

  • Sinar Daily

Gerik crash: Bus operator's permit revoked

Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the company, based in Kedah, was also found to have leased its permit to a third party in Kelantan for RM500 a month. 11 Jun 2025 09:48pm Loke said preliminary investigations also revealed that the bus operator had failed to activate the vehicle's Global Positioning System (GPS). - Bernama photo KUALA LUMPUR - The permit of the bus operator involved in a crash that claimed the lives of 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students on Monday has been revoked with immediate effect. Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the company, based in Kedah, was also found to have leased its permit to a third party in Kelantan for RM500 a month. Loke said preliminary investigations also revealed that the bus operator had failed to activate the vehicle's Global Positioning System (GPS). - Bernama photo "The leasing agreement violated the permit conditions. "I have instructed the Land Public Transport Agency to revoke the company's permit immediately upon expiry of the show-cause letter period,' he told a press conference at Angkasapuri today, which was also attended by Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil and Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi. The tragedy occurred early Monday morning when the bus carrying UPSI students overturned at KM 53 on the East-West Highway near Tasik Banding, Gerik, Perak. The crash also left 33 people injured, including the bus driver and co-pilot, as well as the driver and three passengers of a Perodua Alza, which was involved in the incident. Loke said preliminary investigations also revealed that the bus operator had failed to activate the vehicle's Global Positioning System (GPS). "When we requested the GPS report, the company failed to provide it, as the system had not been activated. This is a serious breach. "As such, the bus operator's permit or operating licence has been revoked with no right to appeal,' he said. On the bus driver's claim that the crash was caused by brake failure, Loke said a full forensic investigation would be conducted. "Dashcam footage clearly shows the bus overtaking at high speed before veering off the road. The driver's claim will be reviewed to assist police in further action,' he added. - BERNAMA

Prison guards foil drone drug delivery attempt in Bandung
Prison guards foil drone drug delivery attempt in Bandung

New Straits Times

time6 hours ago

  • New Straits Times

Prison guards foil drone drug delivery attempt in Bandung

JAKARTA: Indonesian prison officials have foiled a brazen attempt to smuggle methamphetamine into a Bandung facility using a drone. The incident occurred in broad daylight on Sunday at the Class IIA Narcotics Prison in Bandung, West Java, prison authorities said in a statement. Prison's security unit head Muhammad Nurzaman said guards on duty spotted a drone flying over the inmate housing block before it dropped a package inside the facility. "Officers quickly secured the package and prevented an inmate, believed to be linked to the smuggling attempt, from retrieving it," he added. A preliminary examination revealed two packets of methamphetamine weighing a total of 25 grammes. The suspected inmate and the seized drugs were handed over to narcotics police in Bandung for further investigation. "This incident shows that smuggling methods are no longer conventional. They now involve technology such as drones," Muhammad said. The attempt is part of a growing trend in Indonesia, where criminal networks are increasingly turning to drones to bypass tight prison security. Similar incidents were reported at Sragen Prison in 2023 and at Nusa Kambangan, the country's highest-security facility, as early as 2019, both located in Central Java. – BERNAMA

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store