SNAPSHOT | Amnesty urges govt to clarify asylum procedures; MACC quizzes 10 over KWAP losses

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

9pm

Refugees

• The human rights group Amnesty International has urged the government to clarify how asylum seekers can seek protection while in Malaysia, after Putrajaya ordered the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to suspend registrations in the country.

  It also expressed concern over the government’s plans to repatriate 5,000 Myanmar nationals held in immigration detention, and urged the government to ensure no one is deported before their protection needs have been “fully and fairly assessed”.

  

  “Given the ongoing conflict and human rights situation in Myanmar, the government must be transparent about how these individuals were assessed, whether they were given a genuine opportunity to establish protection needs, and what safeguards are in place to ensure that no one is returned to a situation where they may face persecution or other serious human rights violations,” said its Malaysia spokesperson, Divya Shesshsan Balakrishnan, in a statement today.

  He highlighted that the fact that people risk their lives to escape Myanmar - including an incident where two refugee boats capsized last week - underscores that conditions in the country remain unsafe.

READ MORE: Putrajaya freezes UNHCR refugee registrations, shifts control to new DPP scheme

eFishery scandal

• The MACC recorded statements from 10 witnesses so far as part of its probe into a RM163.4 million investment by the Retirement Fund (Incorporated) (KWAP) into Indonesian aquaculture startup eFishery.

  In a Facebook post today, MACC chief commissioner Abd Halim Aman said more individuals are expected to be summoned for their statements, including members of KWAP’s finance committee and its investment panel.

  

  Besides examining related documents, the MACC will also submit an appeal via the Attorney-General’s Chambers to foreign authorities for mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, aimed at recording statements from other witnesses. 

READ MORE: KINIGUIDE | Hook, line, and sinker: How KWAP's eFishery gamble unravelled

Education

• MCA Youth raised concerns on the Malaysian Examinations Council’s (MEC) move to only issue digital STPM certificates from the 2025 examination onwards, with graduates required to pay RM60 for a hardcopy.

  While its education consultative committee chairperson Ong Chee Siang said that MCA Youth supports digitalisation efforts, such measures should not be implemented at the expense of students’ rights and shift administrative costs onto them.

  

  Arguing that issuing the original certificate is a “basic responsibility” of the education system, Ong urged a review of the decision, questioning: “Today it is STPM. Tomorrow, will SPM, STAM, and even university degrees follow the same path?”

  Malaysiakini’s checks found that the MEC had announced the fee in a July 9 post on its website. 

Previously at 6pm | Govt orders immediate measures to resolve UMMC issues; work on Budget 2027 begins August: PM

2pm | Muhyiddin rejects calls to disband Bersatu; Tabung Haji RCI report will be made public - PM

9am | Reject 'marriage-divorce' politics, Mat Sabu urges voters; Sara aid to be increased

Putrajaya freezes UNHCR refugee registrations, shifts control to new DPP scheme

PARLIAMENT | MP: Allow Rohingya refugees to work; group protests planned changes to plant variety law

Speed up Rohingya resettlement process, group tells UNHCR

DAP MP reels in MIC chief, says he's fishing in wrong pond with Zahid analogy for Anwar

MIC chief defends Anwar in KWAP row, invokes Zahid's appointment despite 47 charges

Azam Baki: Recovering KWAP's eFishery losses possible but challenging