Malaysia Roundup: Arrest of smugglers, Malaysia-Cambodia flight routes, disaster relief

Arrest of people-smuggling syndicate

Two Malaysian men and six Myanmar nationals were detained by Immigration Department officers in Kelantan, a rural state in the northeast of peninsular Malaysia following operations against a people-smuggling syndicate on February 21. According to local media The Star, the officers tracked a vehicle believed to be transporting undocumented foreigners and detained three men and three women aged 17-25 without valid travel documents. Malaysian law enforcement disclosed in a statement on February 27 that the syndicate placed undocumented migrants in transit homes before moving them to Seremban, a town in west Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur, the nation’s capital.

Expansion of Malaysia-Cambodia flight routes

Malaysia and Cambodia have agreed to explore new flight routes to enhance air connectivity and tourism, during a bilateral meeting on February 27 between Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet following the Cambodian’s visit to the Southeast Asian nation, local media the New Straits Times reports. "On the suggestion of the Cambodian Prime Minister, we have agreed to look into new routes to expand this air connectivity between Malaysia and Cambodia since there is huge potential in both countries," Anwar said in a press statement. According to New Straits Times, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar disclosed that there are currently 47 weekly flights between Kuala Lumpur and Cambodia.

Disaster relief to households

Compassionate aid worth over RM170 million (approximately $35.7 million) has been given to 168,959 Malaysian households impacted by the Northeast Monsoon season in 2022–2023. Malaysia's Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said that the government of the Southeast Asian nation has allocated RM 232 million (about $48.7 million) to aid all states in the country. "This is not a form of compensation for the losses suffered by disaster victims, but it is more a sign of the federal government's concern to ease the burden of disaster victims," she is quoted by Malaysian national news agency Bernama.

Airport expansion

The Malaysian government has approved a RM1 billion (approximately $210 million) expansion and upgrade of Penang International Airport, located on the Northwest coast of the nation, the New Straits Times reports. According to Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook, the project is expected to start in 2024 and be completed in four years. "The actual figures (cost) will only be determined after the tender process as there are also plans to expand and upgrade the facilities and infrastructure near the airport," the transport minister told reporters.

Introduction of “kill switch” to improve digital safety

The Malaysian government is drafting new legislation to establish a "kill switch" to improve digital safety.  According to the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department of Law and Institutional Reform Datuk Seri Azalina Othman, this move by the Southeast Asian government aligns with advancements in technology like AI and combats rising cybercrime in the country. She added that the legislation was discussed in a meeting with 16 government agencies and statutory bodies on February 5.  "Through the meeting, we identified that the current laws to combat cybercrime are not in tandem with the rapid development of technology, leading to an increasing online fraud due to the loose security in online platforms,” she is quoted by the New Straits Times.