Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | AFP | Monday 4/3/2023 Malaysia’s parliament passed a bill Monday to remove mandatory death sentences, with rights groups welcoming the vote as an “important step” that could have a knock-on effect elsewhere in Southeast Asia. Convictions for several offences, including murder and drug trafficking, previously came with automatic death penalties, giving judges no leeway. The bill does not scrap death sentences, but grants judges the option to instead impose lengthy prison […]
Tag: Malaysia
Mum and Malaysia celebrate Yeoh’s Oscar win
by Patrick LEE Agence France-Presse KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — “Malaysia boleh!” cried Michelle Yeoh’s mother in a video chat with her daughter minutes after her historic Oscars win was announced — citing a popular slogan that loosely translates into “Malaysia can do it!” “I’m very happy… I’m proud of my daughter. She is very hardworking,” Janet Yeoh told reporters after her daughter became the first Asian woman to win the Academy Award for best […]
Malaysia ex-premier Muhyiddin arrested by anti-graft body
by M JEGATHESAN Malaysia’s former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin was arrested Thursday after anti-graft authorities questioned him for alleged misuse of public funds meant to fight Covid-19. Muhyiddin, who was prime minister for 17 months between 2020 and 2021, at the height of Malaysia’s battle against the coronavirus, is expected to be slapped with multiple charges in court on Friday, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said in a statement. He now leads an opposition […]
ASEAN in Focus – Full broadcast: Feb. 7, 2023
ASEAN in Focus – Full broadcast: Feb. 7, 2023 Get the latest breaking news stories from our Southeast Asian region and beyond, from our reliable team and correspondents from the different ASEAN news bureaus. https://fb.watch/iyiWWHdAsv/
New Malaysia PM Anwar in Indonesia on first foreign trip
Bogor, Indonesia (AFP) Malaysia’s new prime minister met with Indonesia’s president Monday on his first foreign trip after winning a confidence vote and cementing his mandate last month following an inconclusive election. Anwar Ibrahim, a long-time opposition leader, was sworn in as the country’s 10th prime minister on November 24 to head a unity government in a shaky alliance with the graft-tainted party of his former political rivals. He met Indonesian President Joko Widodo […]
Malaysian behind Singapore penny-stocks scam jailed for 36 years
Singapore, Singapore (AFP) A Malaysian businessman convicted of masterminding a stock scam that wiped US$5.8 billion off Singapore’s exchange was sentenced on Wednesday to 36 years in jail by a court in the city-state. John Soh Chee Wen orchestrated the scheme, according to court documents, and his accomplice, Singaporean Quah Su-Ling, was also given a 20-year jail term. Both were convicted in May of using more than 180 trading accounts to inflate the share prices […]
Malaysia campsite landslide search ends with 31 dead
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (AFP) Rescuers have called off the search for bodies after a massive, predawn landslide blanketed a campsite north of Malaysia’s capital killing 31 people, officials said on Saturday. According to police, 92 people, including dozens of children, were sleeping at the unlicensed campsite at an organic farm in Batang Kali, Selangor state on December 16 when tonnes of soil and mud thundered down a hill. All of those killed were Malaysian nationals, […]
Malaysia landslide death toll rises to 25
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) – The death toll from a landslide at an unauthorized campsite in Malaysia rose to 25 as search and rescue teams continued to comb muddy terrain on Wednesday. Eight people are still missing after a predawn landslide on Friday hit the site located at an organic farm near the town of Batang Kali in Selangor state, just north of the capital Kuala Lumpur. About 680 personnel from various agencies led by the […]
Eight killed, dozens missing in Malaysia landslide
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) – At least eight people died after a landslide struck a Malaysian campsite Friday, officials said, as rescuers searched for dozens who were still missing. Seven people were injured in the landslide near the town of Batang Kali, just outside the capital Kuala Lumpur and near a mountain casino resort, the National Disaster Management Agency said in a tweet. Landslides are common in Malaysia after heavy rains, which are regular at the […]
AirAsia to launch new branch in Cambodia to spur growth
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (AFP) AirAsia parent company Capital A plans to start a new branch of the low-cost airline in Cambodia, its chief executive said Friday, as the firm jump starts expansion plans thwarted by the pandemic. The latest move to reorganise the Malaysia-based firm’s network comes after setbacks in recent years that saw it exit Japan and India. “2022 was about restarting our airline to pre-Covid levels. That machine is in place and will […]
AirAsia to launch new branch in Cambodia to spur growth
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (AFP) AirAsia parent company Capital A plans to start a new branch of the low-cost airline in Cambodia, its chief executive said Friday, as the firm jump starts expansion plans thwarted by the pandemic. The latest move to reorganise the Malaysia-based firm’s network comes after setbacks in recent years that saw it exit Japan and India. “2022 was about restarting our airline to pre-Covid levels. That machine is in place and will […]
Opposition leader Anwar named Malaysia PM: palace
Malaysia’s perennial opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was named prime minister on Thursday, ending a days-long political impasse after inconclusive polls. His ascension — making him the country’s fourth leader in as many years — caps a turbulent political life for Anwar, during which he served jail time on corruption and sodomy charges. “After taking into consideration the views of Their Royal Highnesses the Malay Rulers, His Majesty has given consent to appoint Anwar Ibrahim […]
