Latest news with #FederalInternalSecurityandPublicOrderDepartment
New Straits Times
31-07-2025
- New Straits Times
Bukit Aman: Don't turn justice into vigilantism
KUALA LUMPUR: Bukit Aman has warned against the prevalence of mob justice following the death of two suspects - a snatch thief and a flasher - who were attacked by members of the public in two separate incidents recently. Federal Internal Security and Public Order Department director Datuk Seri Azmi Abu Kassim said they understand the public's frustration when witnessing crimes, but strongly advised against taking matters into their your own hands. "We don't want justice to turn into vigilantism," Azmi told the New Straits Times. "Malaysians must allow law enforcement agencies to carry out their duties. "Let the police investigate and take appropriate action through legal means. He said the public should immediately contact the police in such situations and avoid actions that could lead to unintended consequences or criminal liability. In two recent incidents, police arrested 15 people who were suspected of assaulting the suspects which led to their deaths. On July 27, a 51-year-old man was beaten to death by members of the public after he had allegedly committed sexual harassment by exposing his private parts at the parking area of a supermarket in Jasin, Melaka. Members of the public, who noticed the suspect's behaviour, gave chase and caught up with him. He was then assaulted. The suspect, who was married, was found dead in front of a kindergarten. Following the incident, police arrested seven people, including a Pakistani national to assist in investigations. On July 22, a suspected snatch thief was allegedly beaten to death in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur. The snatch incident, involving a 36-year-old kindergarten teacher occurred in a residential area in Batu 9, Cheras. Her screams alerted several member of the public who caught and assaulted the thief. Paramedics confirmed that the suspect, believed to be a foreigner, had died, believed to be as a result of the beatings. Police arrested eight men, aged between 22 and 72, who were believed to be involved in the assault of the suspected thief. Meanwhile, Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) executive council member Datuk Muhammad Fuad Talib said no one was above the law. The former Subang Jaya police chief said laws have been enacted through public representatives and should be respected. "Ignorance of the law is not an excuse. "It should be remembered that the court of law will sentence these offenders once they are convicted," he said adding that the public should not punish suspects. He said such actions were nothing more than seeking vengeance. "No one should inflict harm or use excessive force when apprehending and effecting a public arrest. "Minimum usage of force could be used if the suspect resisted not to cause injuries or death," he said adding that if the suspect surrendered and did not resist, no harm or force could be inflicted on him.
New Straits Times
03-07-2025
- New Straits Times
Op Taring nets over RM10mil in illicit cigarettes and liquor
KUALA LUMPUR: At least RM10.5 million worth of contraband cigarettes and alcohol have been seized following police operations in Kuching, Sarawak. Federal Internal Security and Public Order Department director Datuk Seri Azmi Abu Kassim said his department, through its principal intelligence arm — the Wildlife Crime Bureau / Special Investigations Intelligence (WCB/PSK) — together with the General Operations Force (GOF) Sarawak Brigade, successfully conducted Op Taring 1 and Op Taring 2 in the Kuching area yesterday. "The operation involved simultaneous raids at two separate locations suspected of being used for the smuggling and distribution of illicit cigarettes and liquor. "During the operation, police arrested two local men and one Indonesian man, aged between 30 and 64, and seized contraband valued at approximately RM10,500,028," he said in a statement today.
New Straits Times
21-06-2025
- New Straits Times
NST Leader: E-waste land
MALAYSIA doesn't want to be an e-waste garbage bin for the world, but it just can't help being one. Year after year, an estimated one thousand containers make it past our seaports. Some through our porous land and maritime borders. The Customs Department tells us that importers — or are they smugglers? — are bringing in the containers by falsely declaring them to contain anything but e-waste. Some containers don't make it through the inspection of the department, but many do. How many is anyone's guess. The hundreds of illegal e-waste factories throughout the country give a picture of the number of containers that made it undetected. Some are hidden in plantations; others operate openly, in plain sight, visible to the eyes of the authorities. The most recent raids from June 16 to June 19 by 12 agencies on 57 premises in a nationwide crackdown show how bad a crisis the illegal e-waste smuggling is. The police, which led the raids in collaboration with the Department of Environment and Inland Revenue Board, estimated the seizures and revenue loss to the government to be RM1.003 billion. The 57 raided premises were almost a national affair, with 16 in Selangor, 12 in Sabah, six each in Kedah and Sarawak, five each in Perak and Johor, four in Penang, two in Kelantan and one in Terengganu. The raids also yielded 453 arrests, with only 41 Malaysians being nabbed. The rest were from the usual suspects: China, Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, Cambodia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Pakistan and Nepal. From Jan 1 last year to June 19, the police arrested 1,061 people. This should frighten the nation into action before the crisis becomes a catastrophe. But the authorities appear to be facing, not insurmountable, but surmountable hurdles. One such revealed itself when the crackdown was launched. Although police intelligence revealed that more than 57 premises were operating illegally, many were found closed on the day of the raids. This, according to Federal Internal Security and Public Order Department director Datuk Seri Azmi Abu Kassim, raises concerns as to whether some operators may have been tipped off, the New Straits Times quoted him as saying. Enemies within aren't new threats for enforcement units. But which of the 12 agencies leaked it would be something for the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to uncover. Punishment not matching the crime is another hurdle. Consider the Customs Act 1967. Anyone making false declarations can be fined up to RM500,000 or imprisoned for up to seven years, or both. A fine of RM500,000 is just a trifling sum for smugglers. Be that as it may, how many "importers" have been slapped with a RM500,000 fine or a seven-year imprisonment? As unheard of as hen's teeth. The Customs Department must do better by convincing the court to impose the maximum of punishment because illegal e-waste smuggling is a national crisis. While the government must provide the enforcers and regulators with the necessary resources to do a good job, they, too, have to go on an internal journey to weed out corrupt officers. Robust enforcement is not possible any other way. Absent this, containers of illegal e-waste will keep arriving on our shores, turning the crisis into a meltdown.
