The Kelantan State police chief has suggested amending the law so that minors who "consent" to sex are also prosecuted along with their adult partners. Malaysia’s federal government and NGOs have reacted harshly to the proposal, which would criminalise victims and reinforce the culture of blaming women. Instead, some groups want the law to protect consensual relationships between peers.
Datchinamurthy Kataiah, 39, will be hanged tomorrow in Changi Prison fourteen years after his arrest. His sister's appeal against a sentence that is ‘too severe and extreme for a naive act committed by a young man’. The appeal of 33 local NGOs for a moratorium after the Wong government promoted a case for commutation of the sentence for the first time. Currently, 40 people are on death row.
The son of a Protestant pastor, the young man has been on death row for years following a drug trafficking conviction. A group of Malaysian MPs from the prime minister's party are calling for urgent intervention by their country’s Home Affairs minister. Singaporean courts have rejected the clemency request as well as the latest request for a stay of execution.
State authorities have ordered an investigation into a viral video featuring allegedly supernatural elements during a traditional dance performance in Batu Pahat. Chief Minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi reiterated the ban on superstition and rituals contrary to Islamic law, calling on religious authorities and local communities to ensure the purity of the Muslim faith.
Yesterday marked the 68th anniversary of Merdeka, Independence Day, a time to assert a patriotic spirit that contrasts with a reality marked by discontent. Protests against the prime minister are mounting over the rising cost of living, declining opportunities, and lack of reform. Without quick results, people will “keep going to the streets,” expert tells AsiaNews.
The Malaysian state applies discretionary punishments (takzir), while critics and human rights groups warn of growing religious conservatism. A recently enacted law imposes sentences of two years or fines of up to US$ 700. For Terengganu official, Friday prayers are an “expression of obedience among Muslims”.
