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THE act of exposing individuals’ personal information on social media, widely known as doxxing, could lead to further criminal activity if not handled prudently.

Crime expert Datuk Shahul Hamid Abd Rahim explained that even when people believe they are acting for a good cause, such as calling out alleged scammers, debt dodgers or fraudsters, they are still bound by the law.

“The most basic principle before sharing any information is to ensure its authenticity.

“If the information is inaccurate and spread, it could amount to defamation. And when we share defamatory content, we too can be subjected to legal action,” he told an English daily.

Shahul Hamidadded that the boundary between pursuing justice and committing an offence becomes unclear when individuals circulate unverified information without confirmation from the authorities.

“When something untrue is widely spread, it is no longer a social issue, it becomes a criminal offence,” he told the newspaper.

Shahul advised victims of scams or fraud to first file reports with the appropriate bodies, including the police, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), or other relevant agencies, rather than taking matters into their own hands online.

He also referred to recent remarks by InspectorGeneral of Police Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail on doxxing, saying they reflect the increasing seriousness of the problem and the importance of a collective response from society.

Shahul further called on the public to be more mindful and accountable in their use of social media platforms.

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KLUANG — An elderly married couple pleaded not guilty at the Sessions Court here today to charges of possessing a firearm, ammunition and drugs at a house in Taman Sri Kluang on Jan 22.

Koh Yaw, 61, and his wife, Ong Kim Chu, 64, entered their pleas after the charges were read out to them in Mandarin before Judge Mujib Saroji.

They were jointly charged with possessing a Taurus Brasil .38 SPL revolver and 33 rounds of .38 SPL ammunition without lawful authority, as well as cannabis weighing about 84.54 grammes.

The offences were allegedly committed at a house along Jalan 3/2, Taman Sri Kluang, at about 12.30 am on Jan 22.

They were charged under Section 8 of the Firearms (Increased Penalties) Act 1971 and Section 8(a) of the Arms Act 1960, both read with Section 34 of the Penal Code.

For the drug offence, they were charged under Section 12(2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, punishable under Section 39A(2) of the same Act, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code.

The case was prosecuted by deputy public prosecutor Nur Ramizah Razli. Both accused were unrepresented.

Judge Mujib Saroji denied bail and fixed Feb 27 for document submission and the appointment of counsel. — BERNAMA

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KUALA LUMPUR — The High Court here today dismissed an application for leave to commence judicial review filed by lawyer Mahajoth Singh to challenge two Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) orders related to his client, businessman Albert Tei, which he claimed violated the lawyer-client privilege.

In dismissing the application, Judge Alice Yoke Yee Ching ruled that matters relating to the investigative processes of enforcement authorities are not amenable to judicial review.

Addressing the contention that the MACC had acted in bad faith by issuing the notices in contravention of the law, the court found that the allegation had not been established.

“For these reasons, I do not find that an argument has been made for leave to be given. I make no order as to costs,” said the judge.

Mahajoth was seeking an order of certiorari to quash the notices, dated Nov 29 and 30, requiring him to attend questioning and to produce documents under Sections 30(1)(a) and (b) of the MACC Act.

Mahajoth stated he received the orders after Tei was detained by the commission on Nov 28 and taken to the MACC’s headquarters in Putrajaya, allegedly without any reasonable explanation.

Among the items that MACC requested in the orders were Tei’s mobile phone, documents relating to the purchase of furniture, clothing, a camera and copies of WhatsApp conversations between Tei and several individuals.

Federal Counsel V.Krishna Priya appeared for the MACC, while counsel N. Surendran and Rajesh Nagarajan acted for Mahajoth. — BERNAMA

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KUALA LUMPUR — Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) has announced the Ramadan 2026 edition of Railway to See Malaysia (RTSM) special excursion train service for the KL Sentral–Tumpat–KL Sentral route, as well as the Ekspres Lambaian Aidilfitri (ELA) service for the East Coast and Northern routes this year.

In a statement, KTMB said tickets for the services would go on sale starting at noon today to help the public plan their return journeys home earlier and more comfortably during the month of Ramadan, while also easing preparations for the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration.

“The special service (Ramadan Edition) will operate for four days, namely on Feb 20 and March 6 for the KL Sentral–Tumpat route, as well as Feb 22 and March 8 for the Tumpat–KL Sentral route. A total of 1,584 tickets will be offered, including sleeper coaches for this service,” the statement said.

For the ELA service on the East Coast route, the train will operate on March 18 for the KL Sentral–Tumpat route and on March 22 for the Tumpat–KL Sentral route, with a total of 792 tickets offered, including sleeper coaches.

According to the statement, the services will offer superior sleeper coaches with 120 berths per journey, in addition to Premier Class and Superior Class seating coaches, to provide passengers with more comfortable and flexible travel options.

One-way fares are offered from as low as RM80 for the Superior Class, while fares for Superior Class sleeper berths are RM90 (upper berth) and RM95 (lower berth), with Premier Class fares set at RM95.

The RTSM Ramadan 2026 edition train service and the East Coast edition ELA service will stop at 17 stations, including KL Sentral, Bandar Tasik Selatan, Kajang, Seremban, Pulau Sebang, Gemas, Bahau, Mentakab, Jerantut, Kuala Lipis, Gua Musang, Dabong, Kuala Krai, Tanah Merah, Pasir Mas, Wakaf Bharu and Tumpat.

Meanwhile, the Northern edition ELA service involving the KL Sentral–Padang Besar–KL Sentral route will operate four services, with 1,200 tickets offered for Superior Class seating coaches at a one-way fare of RM70.

The special train will operate on March 17 and March 22 for the KL Sentral–Padang Besar route, as well as on March 18 and March 23 for the Padang Besar–KL Sentral route.

The train will stop at 12 stations, namely KL Sentral, Sungai Buloh, Tanjung Malim, Kampar, Batu Gajah, Ipoh, Kuala Kangsar, Taiping, Sungai Petani, Alor Setar, Arau and Padang Besar.

KTMB Group chief executive officer Datuk Azlan Shah Al Bakri, in the same statement, said that the provision of special trains during the festive season was part of KTMB’s commitment to supporting national mobility.

“By encouraging the public to use rail transport, we can help reduce road congestion and ensure a more efficient and safer ‘balik kampung’ experience,” he said.

KTMB encourages the public to plan their journeys early and obtain tickets via cashless methods through the KTMB Mobile (KITS) application, kiosk machines, ticket counters and the official website at www.ktmb.com.my, or by contacting the KTMB Call Centre at 03-97791200, or visiting its official media channels for further enquiries. — BERNAMA

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IPOH — The Ministry of Education (MOE) is making early preparations to ensure schools are operationally ready for the intake of Year One pupils under the ‘double cohort’ situation next year.

Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh said the ‘double cohort’ involves the simultaneous enrolment of six- and seven-year-old children into Year One, and that the ministry has begun early planning, including school operations, teacher placement and classroom facilities.

He said the MOE will monitor the number of six-year-olds registering after March 31 to determine actual needs at the school level, while giving parents sufficient time to make informed decisions.

“This issue is a concern for all parties, but MOE planning has started early, particularly in terms of teacher availability and facilities at schools nationwide.

“Under the MADANI Government, teacher placement rates have increased from 95 per cent to over 97 per cent across all types of schools, including national schools, Chinese-medium and Tamil-medium schools,” he told a press conference after a working visit to Yuk Choy High School (SUWA) near here today.

Wong said the ministry is in discussions with the Education Service Commission (SPP) to increase teacher recruitment, including interim measures while awaiting the training of new teachers, which typically takes up to five years through the Institute of Teacher Education (IPG).

He said the MOE is also identifying schools facing classroom shortages, particularly overcrowded schools, and will construct additional classrooms using the Industrialised Building System (IBS).

“With the modular IBS method, additional classrooms can be completed within four to five months, compared with conventional construction, which takes two to three years. This approach has proven effective, such as in Cyberjaya,” he said.

On the number of schools affected by classroom shortages, Wong said the ministry is still assessing actual needs before announcing any final figures.

“We have data on overcrowded schools, but schools that were previously not overcrowded also need to be reassessed to ensure facilities remain adequate,” he said. — BERNAMA

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KUALA LUMPUR — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has detained the director-general and deputy director-general of the Department of Environment (DOE) as part of a probe into alleged corruption in e-waste management.

An MACC source confirmed that the top DOE officials were detained at 6.30 pm today, after they presented themselves to provide statements at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya.

“The investigation focuses on alleged abuse of power and corruption in e-waste management, believed to have taken place over recent years,” the source said.

MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki confirmed the arrests, saying that a comprehensive and professional inquiry is underway in strict compliance with the law.

He further emphasised that the commission will not tolerate corruption from any quarter, irrespective of an individual’s seniority or position.

The case is being investigated under the MACC Act 2009, and further developments will be announced in due course. — BERNAMA

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KUALA LUMPUR — The Malaysian Immigration Department detained 218 foreign nationals in an integrated operation at Taman Emas, Cheras tonight, with the assistance of thermal drone technology to detect individuals attempting to hide, including on building rooftops.

JIM Deputy Director-General (Operations) Datuk Lokman Effendi Ramli said the use of the technology enabled the department to detect about 15 foreign nationals who attempted to hide on the rooftops of shop premises to evade arrest.

He said the operation, conducted from 6 pm to 8.30 pm, involved inspections of 1,087 individuals at business premises as well as accommodation areas located on the upper floors of buildings.

“Of the total, 218 foreign nationals aged between 18 and 53 were detained for suspected involvement in various immigration offences,” he said at a press conference at the operation site.

He said the operation, resulting from intelligence gathered over two weeks, involved 279 Immigration officers and 10 officers from the National Registration Department (NRD).

According to Lokman Effendi, those detained comprised 166 men and 52 women, involving 78 from Myanmar, Bangladeshi (56), Indonesia (44), Nigeria (12), Nepal (10), India (5), Sri Lanka (4) and other countries (9).

He said all detainees would be placed at the Semenyih Immigration Detention Depot for further investigation into various offences, including failure to possess valid identification documents, breach of pass conditions, overstaying, use of unrecognised cards, as well as other offences under the Immigration Act 1959/63.

“Enforcement operations will continue to be carried out on an ongoing basis to detect, arrest, prosecute and deport foreign nationals who violate the country’s laws under the Immigration Act 1959/63, the Passport Act 1966, the Immigration Regulations 1963 and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007,” he said.

As of yesterday, he said a total of 1,069 enforcement operations had been conducted nationwide, involving inspections of 17,793 individuals, with 3,691 illegal immigrants and 110 employers arrested.

In this regard, he reminded the public and employers not to hire or harbour foreign nationals without valid documents, as strict action would be taken against those involved.

At the same time, Lokman Effendi also advised illegal immigrants to take the opportunity to participate in the Migrant Repatriation Programme 2.0, which will end in April 2026, to avoid stricter enforcement action after the period expires. — BERNAMA

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