SNAPSHOT | 5 charged over health centre raid; no WFH for education, health sectors if greenlit

KINI SNAPSHOT | What’s going on in the news today, with updates at 9am, 2pm, 6pm, and 9pm.

9pm

Court

• Five people have claimed trial in separate magistrates’ courts in Kuala Lumpur today, Bernama reported, following last November’s raid at a health centre in Chow Kit that saw 201 men detained over suspicion of involvement in “gay” activities.

  The centre’s two directors pleaded not guilty to a charge under Section 20(1)(c) of the Trade, Business and Industrial Licensing (Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur) By-Laws 2016 for allegedly allowing “immoral activities” on their premises beyond the scope of their business license.

  Two other men, reportedly aged 64 and 44, were charged under Section 292(a) of the Penal Code for possession of mobile phones containing obscene videos.

  

  Meanwhile, one man, aged 20, claimed trial to a charge under Section 377D of the Penal Code for committing an act of gross indecency by groping another man at the centre.

  The five were granted bail between RM2,000 and RM4,000 each. Their cases are fixed for mention on April 24, May 18, and June 9.

Policy

• The government today said that a proposal for the public service to work from home (WFH), if agreed for implementation, will not involve the education and healthcare sectors.

  The matter was conveyed by government spokesperson Fahmi Fadzil at the weekly press conference following the cabinet meeting in Putrajaya.

  Fahmi also said the cabinet had received a preliminary report from Chief Secretary to the Government Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, prepared by Public Service director-general Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz, on the proposed WFH arrangement for the public sector.

  

  Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim recently asked Shamsul and Ahmad to examine the proposed implementation of WFH to ensure several aspects are properly aligned for the public sector.

  Following the conflict in West Asia, several Asean countries, including Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines, announced precautionary measures, such as WFH arrangements to reduce energy consumption.

6pm

Aidilfitri

• Motorists will get a 50 percent discount at all highway tolls - except those leading in and out of Singapore - from 12.01am Wednesday to 11.59pm on Thursday, in conjunction with Aidilfitri.

  Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in a statement that this will cost RM21.03 million in compensation to toll concessionaires.

  

  The government is also spreading Aidilfitri cheer by expediting bankruptcy discharges for 4,000 individuals, with a focus on single parents.

Court 

• The Langkawi Magistrates’ Court has adjourned the charging of self-styled land activist Tamim Dahri Abdul Razak to May 15, after it emerged that he is in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

  Sinar Harian reported that magistrate Hemy Annerina Haja Mydin fixed a new date after deputy public prosecutor Khairul Anuar Abdul Halim sought a period of at least two months to enable the accused to be brought before the court.

  The report said that during proceedings, it was disclosed that Tamim had left the country for Thailand via Bukit Kayu Hitam on March 9.

  

  He was subsequently traced to Saudi Arabia via Bangkok International Airport. However, the prosecution reportedly informed the court that it has yet to verify whether the accused travelled on a tourist visa or an umrah visa.

READ MORE: New Bar president reminds cops all equal before law as activist taunts critics

2pm

Corruption

• PKR Youth vice chief Nabil Halimi has urged the MACC to investigate allegations that politicians acting as the middlemen siphoned funds meant for boosting rural economies under the Sejahtera Komuniti Madani (Sejati Madani) programme.

  In a statement today, he said if the allegations are true, those individuals are thieves and traitors, and there must be no compromise.

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  READ MORE: Sejati Madani funds allegedly diverted by political leaders, victims speak out

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  Meanwhile, Terengganu Pakatan Harapan chief Hasbie Muda told Malaysiakini that he would leave the matter to the MACC to investigate.

  Reporting by N Faizal Ghazali

Environment

• Subang MP Wong Chen said the Selangor government has yet to respond to any of his queries regarding the proposed development near the Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve in Kinrara, Puchong.

  

  In a Facebook post this morning, the PKR lawmaker said he sent a third follow-up letter to Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari yesterday, dated exactly three months from the first letter.

  He noted a 67 percent increase in signatures collected by residents to object to the planned development - an increase from 3,752 to 6,270 signatures.

  In the copy of the letter attached to his post, Wong said the lack of response from Amirudin regarding the matter should not be considered a reply in itself.

9am

Policy

• PKR Youth has called on employers to implement targeted work-from-home policies for jobs that don’t require consistent physical presence.

  Its chief Kamil Abdul Munim said that employers should also prioritise worker welfare and give them flexibility to help them manage the cost of living in urban areas.

  

  Putrajaya is expected to announce a decision on work-from-home for civil servants today. Last week, the Malaysian Employers’ Federation said that for the private sector, any such rules should not be one-size-fits-all and sector-based.

Travel

• Sarawak government-owned AirBorneo plans to launch regional operations in July, with flights from Kuching to Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore.

  Bernama reported that the airline will start with regional operations with three Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

  It will add more regional destinations once operations stabilise, it said.

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