Thousands of airline passengers bound for Sabah and Sarawak, including Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, and Batik Air, are stranded at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) today due to the eruption of Mount Ruang in Indonesia.
A survey conducted by Bernama at 11am at Terminal 2 revealed that passengers originally scheduled to depart for Tawau at 8.20am have now been rescheduled to fly to Sandakan at 1.30pm. However, a statement from AirAsia at noon announced the cancellation of all flights to Sabah, Sarawak, and Brunei from 10am today until 8am (April 19). The affected AirAsia flights are those to Kota Kinabalu, Tawau, Sandakan, Bintulu, Kuching, and Brunei. Hazwan Mohd Hanafi, 35, an administrative assistant from Kelantan, stated that he and his 20 family members were initially scheduled to depart for Tawau at 8.20am today, but were later issued new tickets to Sandakan. “We had a wedding to attend in Tawau tomorrow. We intended to travel to Tawau by road after our flight to Sandakan. But now all flights are canceled. We don’t have any other plans yet; maybe we’ll wait here at the airport for the flights to be rescheduled,” he explained. Another Tawau-bound passenger, Norfatihah Aluddin, 15, said she and three other family members are still awaiting the latest updates from AirAsia following the cancellation of all flights. “We have an event in Tawau this Saturday; earlier, we got a flight to Sandakan and planned to take a bus to Tawau from there, but it’s cancelled too. It would be great if we could get a flight tomorrow morning,” she said. A passenger returning home to Kuching, who only wished to be identified as Annie, said her 11.35am flight was also cancelled. “At the moment, they (AirAsia) asked us to wait for updates, so we have to be patient,” she said. Meanwhile, Mohd Firdaus Mohd Shaari, a Malaysia Airlines passenger at KLIA Terminal 1, whose flight (MH2710) from Kuala Lumpur to Sandakan was cancelled, said he is awaiting further information regarding the rescheduled flight. “I am queuing at the counter to retrieve our checked-in luggage from this morning and inquiring about the contingency plan for affected passengers,” said Mohd Firdaus, a medical assistant at the Duchess of Kent Hospital in Sandakan. It is understood that he, and his wife, who is a doctor at the same hospital, returned to the peninsula for Hari Raya Aidilfitri on April 6 and were scheduled to resume duty on April 22. Besides AirAsia, Malaysia Airlines and Batik Air have also cancelled their flights due to the Mount Ruang eruption. Malaysia Airlines cancelled 19 flights from KLIA to destinations in Sabah and Sarawak today, comprising 11 to and fro Sabah and eight flights involving Sarawak. Batik Air has announced flight cancellations for its East Malaysia routes, from and to Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Tawau, and Sibu. The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) has alerted that the eruption of Mount Ruang volcano in Indonesia has generated ash clouds heading towards the Kota Kinabalu Flight Information Regions (FIR), potentially endangering aircraft safety within that airspace. Passengers at Dubai Airport are contending with the aftermath of the city’s worst flood in 75 years, which has led to disruptions in luggage retrieval.
Media reports said that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) witnessed its heaviest rainfall from late Monday through Tuesday night, surpassing anything documented since the start of data collection in 1949. Suzaliana Samuri, who flew from Kuala Lumpur and arrived in Dubai at 4.30pm yesterday, told Bernama that she and her friends have still failed to get their luggage today. “There was some confusion when getting information from the Emirates staff here, some said they would find our luggage in less than an hour and some told us to come back later in the evening,” said the information technology officer. Suzaliana said she and the group then waited for two hours before deciding to return to their hotel and will return later in the evening, after failing to get their luggage. The group is from various agencies and companies from Malaysia, in participating the Kaspersky Cyber Immunity Conference 2024 held at the Museum of the Future, here. Apart from the group, it is understood that many passengers from various destinations have been in the baggage claim section since yesterday for the same purpose. Also participating in the group is CyberSecurity Malaysia Chief Executive Officer Datuk Amirudin Abdul Wahab, who is also one of the invited panellists for the conference. Amirudin said he would remain committed to attend the conference and continue with the programme scheduled. “Despite having to wear the same shirt since yesterday at the conference, I will want to continue to join this programme to share the experience and progress achieved by CyberSecurity Malaysia and to promote adaptive security and secure by design approach in sync with the Kaspersky Cyber Immunity’s concept,” he said. Firefighters rescued an eight-year-old boy after he was accidentally locked in his mother’s car with the engine running at Taman Lagenda here today.
Senior Fire Superintendent Operations Commander I (KUP) Mohamad Ismail Harun said following an emergency call at 2.56pm from the victim's mother, a team of firemen along with machinery and the Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS) unit from the Melaka Tengah Fire and Rescue Station (JBPM) were dispatched to the location. “Upon arriving at the scene six minutes later, they took about five minutes to open the door of the Honda Civic FD using special equipment and found the child asleep with the engine still running. “It is believed that the child was locked in for 20 minutes after the mother went to a nearby shop while members of the public also tried to help but failed to open the car door,” he said today. Elaborating, Mohamad Ismail said the boy was in a normal, healthy condition when he was removed from the car and handed over to his mother. The Federal Court today commuted the death sentence of an ex-mechanic to a 35-year jail term and 12 strokes of the cane for killing a woman nine years ago.
A three-judge panel led by Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Mat unanimously allowed the review application by Norhalis Mohamad Zaid, 38, under Section 302 of the Penal Code, Section 2(4) and 3(1) of the Revision Sentences of Death and Imprisonment for Natural Life (Temporary Jurisdiction of the Federal Court) Act 2023. Tengku Maimun set aside the death sentence handed down on Norhalis by the Temerloh High Court on October 2, 2018, and ordered him to serve a 35-year jail term starting from the date of his arrest on July 21, 2015. Norhalis has been imprisoned for nine years. Court of Appeal president Tan Sri Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim and Federal Court Judge Datuk Nordin Hassan also presided over the case. Norhalis was found guilty under Section 302 of the Penal Code for killing Noor Salwana Wahab, 28, a toll booth operator, in an area near a hotel in Seri Kembangan between 6.30pm on July 17, 2015, and 2am the following day. The Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal against the High Court decision on October 10, 2019; on December 16, 2020, the Federal Court upheld the conviction. Earlier, lawyer Mohd Kamaruzaman A Wahab, appearing for Norhalis, pleaded with the court to reduce the sentence, stating that Norhalis is a filial son to his father. However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Norzilati Izhani Zainal@Zainol requested the court to uphold the death sentence as the crime was heinous. On July 18, 2015, media reported the discovery of a woman’s body wrapped in a thick cloth after a car driven by her boyfriend crashed on the East Coast Expressway, believed due to drowsiness. The victim was found in the front seat with an injury on the neck, while the car driver suffered a broken rib. Her body was taken to Jerantut Hospital here, and doubts arose because no external injuries were found on her body. The forensic team confirmed she died as a result of the injury to the neck. The police have arrested three men suspected of assaulting and abducting a debt consultant on Tuesday.
Sungai Buloh district police chief Supt Mohd Hafiz Muhammad Nor stated that the suspects, aged between 30 and 40, were apprehended at 1.20am near Puncak Alam yesterday, following a report from a man claiming that his employee had been assaulted and abducted by several individuals. “The man reported that his employee, in his 20s, had a meeting with a woman regarding the company’s debt repayment. However, during the meeting, several individuals assaulted and abducted him, and robbed him of RM2,000 in cash. “The suspects also contacted the complainant demanding RM7,000 if he wanted the victim to be released,” he said in a statement today. Mohd Hafiz said the arrests led to the victim being located, and the seizure of a Honda car, two mobile phones, and an ATM card. Investigations revealed that the suspects had four previous criminal records, including one drug-related offence, he added. “The suspects have been remanded for four days, and the case is being investigated under Sections 385 and 323 of the Penal Code,” he said. A stall trader today escaped the gallows after the Federal Court commuted the death sentence to 35 years in prison for killing a man nine years ago.
A panel of three judges led by Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Mat unanimously allowed the review filed by Mohamad Zulkifli Ismail, 59 under Section 302 of the Penal Code, Section 2(4) and 3(1) of the Revision of Sentence of Death and Imprisonment for Natural Life (Temporary Jurisdiction of the Federal Court) Act 2023. Tengku Maimun set aside the death sentence handed down on Mohamad Zulkifli by the Kuala Terengganu High Court on May 27, 2018, and ordered him to serve a 35-year jail term starting from the date of his arrest on December 7, 2015. Mohamad Zulkifli has been imprisoned for nine years. Court of Appeal president Tan Sri Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim and Federal Court Judge Datuk Nordin Hassan also presided over the case. The Kuala Terengganu High Court sentenced Mohamad Zulkifli to death after finding him guilty under Section 302 of the Penal Code for killing a scrap metal collector, Zulkefle Abdullah, 37, at a house in Kampung Labohan, Kerteh, at 10.30am on December 7, 2015. On October 25, 2021, Mohamad Zulkifli appealed against the decision, but the Federal Court upheld the death sentence. Earlier, lawyer Mazlan Md Zain, appearing for Mohamad Zulkifli, stated that the facts of the case indicated that the appellant was the victim because the incident occurred near his house. However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Norzilati Izhani Zainal@Zainol requested the court to uphold the sentence because the crime committed is deemed too heinous as the victim was left to die at the scene. The case went viral on social media, claiming that Mohamad Zulkifli committed the act in self-defence to fend off a robbery. A group named “Save Zulkifli” was created on Facebook, amassing 71,000 followers and posting various negative statements questioning the police’s authority in arresting Mohamad Zulkifli. The case is among the 28 review cases heard during the Federal Court Session held at the Kota Baru High Court today, including cases from the East Coast states. A former Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) cadet officer told the Sessions Court here today that the late J. Soosaimanicckam was foaming at the mouth, his palms were bleeding and his body was bruised before the victim died.
Christian Bernard Unto, 31, currently a senior executive of a private company, said the incident happened when second lieutenant R. Rashwin asked him to undress the deceased while he was in the toilet. “As I was about to head for lunch, I arrived to find Soosaimanicckam unresponsive, with bleeding palms, foaming at the mouth, sprawled out in the bathroom. “Even though he didn’t respond, he managed to walk to his room and sit on the bed... he seemed on the verge of passing out, but I attempted to rouse him and wipe the foam from his mouth. “I slapped him to try to elicit a response, but he remained unresponsive. Then I called Rashwin to immediately take the victim to the Lumut Armed Forces Hospital. While they were lifting the deceased in the residential college lobby, Soosaimanicckam died,” he said, adding that he did not accompany the deceased to the hospital. The fourth plaintiff’s witness said this during examination-in-chief by lawyer Latheefa Koya, representing S. Joseph in his suit against 11 individuals including RMN captains and officers, RMN commander, Malaysian Armed Forces Council, the Defence Minister and the Malaysian government as the first to 15th defendants. When cross- examined by senior federal counsel Nur Ezdiani Roleb, representing the defendants, the witness disagreed with the assertion that he had seen the deceased in a tired state, contrary to his earlier claim. Meanwhile, the fifth plaintiff’s witness Sammy Danielle Anak Sitibun, 37, also a former RMN cadet officer, testified that if the deceased couldn’t complete the physical exercises, he would be isolated and the exercises would be doubled. When questioned by another lawyer for the plaintiff, Zaid Malek, about the officer’s response when the deceased couldn’t complete the training, Sammy Danielle, who currently works in a bookstore, said the officer would become angry and scold the deceased to ensure he completed the exercises. In the lawsuit filed on May 19, 2021, the victim’s family is alleging negligence on the part of the defendants for failing to provide emergency treatment when the victim collapsed on the day of the incident, and further claim negligence in monitoring his well-being and health during training sessions. The plaintiff is seeking general damages, aggravated damages, exemplary damages, and other relief deemed appropriate by the court. Soosaimanicckam, a Graduate Cadet Officer, was pronounced dead at the Armed Forces Hospital in Lumut. Last year, the Ipoh Coroner’s Court delivered an open verdict during the inquest into the cadet officer’s death to ascertain the cause. Coroner Ainul Shahrin Mohamad determined that the cause of Soosaimanicckam’s death, which occurred during cadet training at KD Sultan Idris, was pulmonary edema. The trial before Judge Idah Ismail continues on May 13. Kelantan cops fire a shot to stop car driver suspected of smuggling 22 plastic drums of petrol4/18/2024 The police had to fire a shot at the tyre of a Proton Iswara because the driver tried to endanger the lives of policemen who were tailing the vehicle suspected of smuggling 22 plastic drums of petrol in Kampung Pulau Ular Post Office, Pengkalan Kubor, here, yesterday.
Tumpat district police chief ACP Mohd Khairi Shafie said General Operations Force personnel were patrolling the area around 7.10am and saw a car in a suspicious manner before giving chase to stop the vehicle. As a result, the suspect stopped on the shoulder of the road in an open area near the post and suddenly the suspect reversed the vehicle towards the members who got off the motorcycles to approach him for inspection. “Policemen who were surprised by the suspect’s actions managed to dodge and then fired a shot to stop him and minimise the threat to the lives of the policemen on duty. “However, the suspect continued driving and fled before the vehicle was found abandoned one kilometre from the scene,” he said in a statement today. Mohd Khairi said efforts to track down the suspect had been made it was believed that he had fled towards a nearby bush area. He said all the 22 plastic drums containing petrol were confiscated and they were believed to be smuggled to a neighbouring country. “The vehicle and the drums of petrol were taken to Komtek Kuala Jambu for further action while the case was investigated under Section 307 of the Penal Code for attempted murder. “The police also found a pair of black gloves on the footrest of the driver’s seat and lifted three fingerprints on the front passenger mirror of the vehicle, in addition to a gunshot mark on the rear tyre rim,” he said. According to him, preliminary investigations confirmed that the original owner of the vehicle was in Johor and efforts to trace and arrest the individual were underway. A man died after falling into a cement mixing tank and getting caught in the cement mixer blades at a factory making cement blocks in Section 35, here, this morning.
Shah Alam district police chief ACP Mohd Iqbal Ibrahim said police received information about the incident at 11.44am from the public who reported finding a man’s body floating in the tank. He said an examination of the victim’s body found his right hand from the elbow and his head severed. “Examination by the Selangor forensic team also found no signs of struggle or other injuries on the body that could cause the death of the deceased. “The victim is believed to have fallen into the cement mixing tank on his own and got caught in the mixer blade,” he said in a statement here. Mohd Iqbal said the man was identified by relatives through tattoo on his left arm. He said the man’s body was sent to the Shah Alam Hospital for a post-mortem and that the case was classified as sudden death. Anyone with information related to the case is requested to contact investigating officer Insp Mohd Shahrul Bakhri at 012-3630512 to assist in the investigation. Meanwhile, Selangor Fire and Rescue Department Assistant Director of Operations Ahmad Mukhlis Mokhtar said the body of the man, aged around 50, was successfully extracted by his team from the 10-foot tank at 4pm. Sabah deputy police commissioner: Lahad Datu police chief’s daughter died of single gunshot to chest4/18/2024 A post-mortem report revealed that the death of Lahad Datu police chief’s 14-year-old daughter, who was found dead in a pool of blood in her room at Taman Tabanak here yesterday, was caused by a gunshot to the chest.
Sabah deputy police commissioner DCP Datuk Shahurinain Jais said the gunshot to the right chest is believed to have also hit the lungs and penetrated through the body. “The post-mortem conducted at the Lahad Datu Hospital today found only one gunshot wound on the victim’s body,” he said when contacted by reporters today. He added that police had summoned three witnesses for statements, and a Walther P99 pistol believed to be linked to the incident was also seized. Meanwhile, Shahurinain said the case has been classified as a sudden death report (SDR) after investigations found no criminal elements in the incident. However, he said a comprehensive investigation, including from the perspective of the standard operating procedures (SOP) for the control and handling of firearms, is still ongoing. The victim, the youngest of four siblings, was laid to rest at the Kampung Haji Khamis Muslim Cemetery here at 5.30pm today. |
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