Cops cripple militant network with arrest of 36 Bangladeshis
Malaysian police have smashed a foreign militant network with the arrest of 36 Bangladeshi nationals suspected of direct involvement in a radical movement based on extremist beliefs and violent ideology.
Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the arrests were made in a three-phase security operation in Selangor and Johor, which began on April 24.
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Malaysia Sun
2 hours ago
- Malaysia Sun
Russia and Malaysia to boost nuclear cooperation
Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom and a Malaysian delegation have discussed steps to deepen ties during high-level talks in Moscow Russia and Malaysia have agreed to expand cooperation on the peaceful use of nuclear energy, state nuclear corporation Rosatom announced, following high-level talks in Moscow on Friday. The meeting was attended by Rosatom CEO Aleksey Likhachev and Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof. The discussions focused on the use of Rosatom's Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) technologies, according to a Rosatom press release. "We value our collaboration and aim for a long-term strategic partnership based on mutual trust and shared objectives," Fadillah, who is also Malaysia's Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister, stated at the meeting. Likhachev said Malaysia is interested in Russian floating nuclear power stations, following Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's visit to Russia last month. "We offered [Malaysia] the entire spectrum: large and small stations, both land-based and floating. For various reasons, the Malaysians are choosing floating nuclear power plants with a capacity of 100 MW each," he told Izvestia news outlet. "They can be created here in Russia and brought there fully operational." During their current visit, the Malaysian delegation toured the Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant in St. Petersburg, one of Rosatom's largest facilities, to observe Russia's latest nuclear technologies and safety standards. They also visited the ATOM Pavilion at Moscow's VDNKh - the country's key nuclear science education hub, featuring more than 1,700 interactive exhibits. Fadillah called the experience "eye-opening," praising the pavilion as both a display of innovation and a center of historical awareness. "This visit reinforced my belief that technology, when guided by knowledge, values and responsibility, can be a powerful driver for a future that is sustainable, innovative and globally competitive," he wrote in a post on social media. During his 5-day visit, Fadillah also held a bilateral meeting in Moscow with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksey Overchuk. (
The Star
4 hours ago
- The Star
Jail for Singaporean man, the ‘second in command' of illegal operation of cross-border crypto transactions
SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): From its premises in Geylang, a team operated an illegal business buying and selling large amounts of foreign currency and cryptocurrency. Between Feb 1 and 23, 2023, the team provided cross-border money transfer services involving Singapore and foreign currencies of at least $35 million in value over no fewer than 430 transactions. Following a police raid on the premises on Feb 23, 2023, the mastermind behind the operation, Singaporean Low Han Chuan, 44, fled the country. On June 26, Javiour Chia Kit Hou, 34, whom the prosecution described as the second in command, was sentenced to 10 months' jail. He had pleaded guilty earlier to one charge of abetment of the provision of an unlicensed payment service. Deputy public prosecutors Shamini Joseph and Kiera Yu said that at some point, before June 2021, Low was introduced to a director of Sir Money Changer, a family-run company. Low expressed an interest in starting his own money-changing and remittance business, and, after a discussion, the director agreed to let Low operate his business autonomously under Sir Money Changer's name from its premises at 12 Lorong 1 Geylang in exchange for $14,000 monthly. Low would hire his own staff and pay their salaries, and while the contributions to the staff's Central Provident Fund accounts would be paid by Sir Money Changer, Low would have to reimburse it. He was also required to record and submit the money-changing and remittance transactions performed at the Geylang premises to Sir Money Changer so that annual accounting returns could be filed together. Low began business operations on the premises in September 2021. While he used Sir Money Changer's name, he conducted his own business involving illegal cross-border money transfer services from the Geylang premises independently and without oversight from Sir Money Changer. He did not have a licence from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) that allowed him to carry on such a business, and he was not an exempt payment service provider. Low, who masterminded the operation and procured customers, was generally not physically present at the premises. To run his business daily, he employed Chia; Malaysian Ho Jia Yi, 26; Singaporeans Peh Kian Tat, 46, Jacky Lim Teck Leng, 27, and Ng Yang Kai Don, 24, who is his nephew; as well as an unidentified person known as Vera. Between September 2021 and February 2023, the crew operated the business of buying and selling large amounts of foreign currency and the USDT cryptocurrency. Chia, who had a monthly salary of about $3,500, led the team and executed the daily operations of the business. He would assign roles and responsibilities to the team, relay Low's instructions, procure customers for the business, execute the transfer of USDT, and supervise the recording of the transactions. When a customer engaged the team's services, a group chat would be set up on WhatsApp or Telegram to facilitate communication between the team and the customer. The team members were given work phones with a Cambodian number, which they used to communicate on the group chat. Using the chat, customers would indicate the amount they wished to remit and the currency to be sent to the receiving bank account or intended recipient. The team would then provide the buying or selling rate, and the amount that would be transferred to the recipient in the intended currency. The customer would then agree to the deal or not. After a deal was confirmed, the team would coordinate between its network of overseas and local agents to perform the remittance transaction by either transferring or receiving cash, or processing transfers to the recipients' bank accounts. Once the transaction was completed, members of the team would record the details of the transaction in a spreadsheet, including the customer alias, the date of transaction, the amount and currency involved, and the conversion rate. The prosecutors said the team did not carry out any know-your-customer or proof of funds checks or file cash movement reports despite being aware of the regulatory requirements to do so. On Feb 21, 2023, a 58-year-old woman made a police report stating that she was a victim of a police impersonation scam and had been deceived into transferring at least $200,000 to two bank accounts. Investigations revealed that $90,000 of the money was withdrawn by a 23-year-old Singaporean man who traded in cryptocurrency and was a member of a Telegram group chat along with Chia. It was found that Chia had advertised cryptocurrency services on the group chat and the 23-year-old man had reached out to him to buy USDT. The man was instructed to deliver the $90,000 in cash to the premises in Geylang, and received the USDT in his cryptocurrency wallet. As a result of this transaction, investigators discovered the operations on the premises and arrested Chia, Peh and Ho. Ng left Singapore on the same day to meet his uncle, and they both travelled to Cambodia. Ng eventually returned to Singapore some time around June 1, 2023, while Low remains at large. The prosecution asked the court to sentence Chia to between 10 and 12 months' jail. They said there was a high level of sophistication in the operation, that Chia knew a licence was required by MAS and that he had obtained personal financial gain from the offence. Chia's lawyers, Jeremy Pereira and Matin Razak of Withers KhattarWong, asked for a sentence of between seven and eight months' jail. They said their client had been given an active role by Low in managing the operations as he was the only employee with a diploma working there, and he was good with numbers. They said: 'It is clear that (Low), Javiour's employer, was the mastermind behind the entire scheme, not Javiour. 'Although Javiour oversaw the daily operations of the business, he acted purely on (Low)'s instructions.' Chia could have been fined up to S$125,000, jailed for up to three years, or both. - The Straits Times/ANN
New Straits Times
8 hours ago
- New Straits Times
UM: No 'backdoor' entry in dual admission system
KUALA LUMPUR: Universiti Malaya (UM) has dismissed allegations of inequality in its dual admissions process, saying that the data cited by MCA to question the meritocracy of the system was "misleading." UM vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Seri Dr Noor Azuan Abu Osman said the figures presented by the MCA president concerning the increase in undergraduate enrolments via the UM Open Channel (Saluran Terbuka Universiti Awam, or Satu) from 2018 to 2022 failed to take into account the full context of the university's admissions framework. His response came in the wake of remarks made by Ayer Hitam member of Parliament Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong in a video posted on June 24. In the video, Wee called for the suspension of UM's Satu intake for the 2025/2026 session until the higher education ministry reviews its admissions mechanism, following claims of structural inequality. This was as Wee had launched a position paper by MCA on the matter, in which the party said the apparent selectiveness in UM's student admissions raised questions about meritocracy in the process. "In fact, the number of students admitted through the main channel (UPU) remains consistent every year and continues to meet intake projections set by the Higher Education Ministry," he said. "There has been no reduction in UPU quota or displacement of UPU candidates as a result of the alternative Satu route," he said. Noor Azuan said that UM uses two separate channels to admit students into its undergraduate programmes: UPU, which is managed by the Higher Education Ministry; and Satu, which offers an alternative route for qualified applicants with the ability to self-fund their studies. He said all admissions, whether via UPU or Satu, are merit-based, and that no shortcuts or backdoor entries are allowed. "Satu is not a backdoor, but an additional door. It expands opportunities and strengthens the system without closing the path for deserving students." He said the dual-channel approach was a strategic response to growing demand for limited placements in critical programmes such as medicine, dentistry and pharmacy. "UPU is highly competitive, and many excellent students are turned away due to limited capacity. Satu creates additional seats without affecting UPU quotas." He added that the initiative also aimed to curb the outflow of local talent overseas, noting that many Malaysian students had been forced to pursue costly medical studies abroad. "With Satu, they can now study in Malaysia, closer to their families and cultural roots, reducing brain drain and enhancing the supply of local talent." Noor Azuan also pointed out that the use of alternative admission pathways was in line with global practices, citing examples from the United Kingdom, Australia, Indonesia and the United States. On the recent fee hikes for students under the Satu channel, he said the adjustments were necessary to reflect the actual cost of providing high-quality medical education, particularly clinical training and the maintenance of teaching hospital facilities. "The revised fees apply only to Satu students and do not affect the government's subsidy for UPU students, who continue to enjoy up to 95 per cent tuition support." He acknowledged the financial concerns raised by some quarters but assured that no deserving student would be denied access to education due to financial hardship. "Scholarships, financial aid, and welfare assistance will continue to be made available and expanded." Noor Azuan said the university welcomed suggestions to expand UPU quotas for medical and other critical programmes, but said that such decisions must be approved by professional bodies such as the Malaysian Medical Council, Pharmacy Board and Dental Council. "UM remains open to engagement with these bodies to ensure national needs are met. The university is not just a centre of learning, but a place of hope for the future." He reaffirmed UM's commitment to transparency, meritocracy and social equity, adding that the university had no intention of engaging in polemics but felt compelled to correct public misconceptions.
