MetMalaysia: Orange-Level Weather Warning For Kelantan And Terengganu Today

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The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has issued an orange-level warning for several areas in Kelantan and Terengganu indicating a bad weather forecast today.

The agency identified risk areas in Kelantan as Tumpat, Pasir Mas, Kota Bharu, Bachok and Pasir Puteh, while in Terengganu it issued warnings for Besut, Setiu, Kuala Nerus, and Kuala Terengganu.
This weather situation can trigger strong winds, particularly in the coastal stretches of the east coast states in the peninsula.MetMalaysia via Bernama

https://twitter.com/syameysazali/status/1334156393750773761

MetMalaysia uses three colour codes to indicate warnings
Yellow for “beware – situation not a serious threat yet”Orange for “bad – residents in affected areas should prepare for bad weather”, andRed for “dangerous – severely bad weather that requires evacuation”.
Weather warnings issued for Kelantan and Terengganu since mid-November
On 18 November a red-level alert for “continuous very heavy rain” in Terengganu was issued before the first wave of floods occurred in Setiu.
About a week later, authorities reported a second wave of floods on 24 November. Almost 200 residents in three districts in Terengganu had to be evacuated due to several low-lying areas becoming inundated with floodwaters.
READ MORE: Malaysians Are Hooked On This Video Showing A House Filled With Fish After Flood
Weather warnings have been issued for the past week as well. A quick check of the weather forecast for Kuala Terengganu alone shows continuous thunderstorms and heavy rain day, noon, and night until Saturday.
Weather forecast for Kuala Terengganu from 3 – 6 December 2020. (Credit: Weather-Forecast)
MetMalaysia expects strong north-easterly winds of between 50 km per hour and 60 km per hour and waves as high as 4.5 metres in the waters off Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang which may cause the seawater to rise along the coasts and at river mouths.
         View this post on Instagram            A post shared by Jabatan Meteorologi Malaysia (@metmalaysia)
Thunderstorms in west coast states and federal territories of the peninsula as well
Perak, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, and Johor are also expected to experience thunderstorms, heavy rain and strong winds this evening and in the early part of tonight.
The weather is forecast to be similar in the interior of Pahang, western Sabah and western Sarawak, and the situation can cause flash floods in low-lying areas as well as structural damage.

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Giant Amazon fish found floating in KK lake (Video)

Morning joggers at Tun Fuad Stephens Park in Bukit Padang, Kota Kinabalu, had the shock of finding a monster fish, the size of a BOAT, floating in the lake there today (Aug 8).

Photos of the dead seven-foot long fish has been circulating online since its discovery at 6.30am this morning – surprising Malaysian social media users, due to both its size and species.

Isn’t that arapaima? Tf it’s doing in Malaysian waters…. https://t.co/QhsMJtS2j7
â€” Beyla | Jin (Prod. SUGA) (@beylaminki) August 5, 2019

Besar anat arapaima dia 😂 https://t.co/HDxHJgTTcH
â€” syuk (@SyukJmllddn) August 5, 2019

“That’s one giant arapaima!”
The giant fish was identified as an arapaima, a fish found only in South Americaâ€™s Amazon.
Weighing at least 100kg, it was eventually hauled to shore.
Picture credit: Twitter
Kota Kinabalu mayor, Datuk Nordin Siman believes the fish was likely discarded into the lake when it was still young and had lived there for many years with the local fish.
While locals speculate that the fishâ€™s cause of death was due to poisoning, Nordin said it was most likely due to old age.
According to him, the Fisheries Department had been called in to investigate the fishâ€™s cause of death.

â€œThe Borneo Marine Research Institute at Universiti Malaysia Sabah will also be doing some research on the fish,â€
Datuk Nordin Siman via Malay Mail

via GIPHY
The arapaima, a.k.a pirarucu in Brazil or paiche in Peru is one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. Native to South Americaâ€™s Amazon, it can grow as long as nine feet (2.75 meters) and weigh up to 200 kg.

Arapaimas can stay underwater for up to 20 minutes. However, they tend to remain near the water’s surface, as their primitive lung requires them to emerge and breathe air.
Due to this, they often hunt just beneath the waterâ€™s surface, feeding mainly on fish and the occasional bird making the mistake of flying too close to the lakes.

via GIPHY
Considering the fact that the arapaima tends to swim close to the surface, this begs the question on how it was never noticed in the lake prior to its death.

via GIPHY


Isnin, Selasa, Rabu… Here’s Where We Got The Names Of Our Days

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This weekend, Muslims in Malaysia will be celebrating ‘Maal Hijrah’ or the beginning of the Islamic New Year.

Also referred to as ‘Awal Muharram’, it marks the first day of the month of Muharram and is observed in many parts of the world as a public holiday including places like the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and here as a national holiday.
This Awal Muharram will officially be the 1443rd year since the Islamic calendar began when the Prophet Muhammad S.A.W and his followers historically ‘Hijrah’ or migrated from Mekkah to Madina in Saudi Arabia back in the year 639 CE.
(Credit: ekrem osmanoglu via Unsplash)
As it’s often called, the Islamic Hijrah calendar is a lunar-based calendar that is observed according to the phases of the moon and consists of 12 months between 29 to 30 days long, making up to a total of between 354 and 355 days in a year.
This sets it apart from our modern solar-based Gregorian calendar which consists of between 365 to 366 days in a year.
Read More: Guess What? There Will Be TWO Ramadans In The Year 2030
Year 1444
The Hijrah calendar was created several years after the Prophet’s passing by the second Muslim Caliph, Khalifa Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, to synchronize and standardise dates accross the empire.
It is chronicled that Umar was frustrated by the multiple and conflicting dating systems that were used during his time and agreed with other Muslim leaders to establish a unifying Islamic calendar system to sort things out.
After careful deliberation, it was decided that the date of the Prophet’s migration would be set as the start of the Hijrah calendar, an event that had lead to the foundation of the first Muslim state.
In the West, the Hijrah calendar is also referred to by its abbreviation, AH, which is Latin for “Anno Hegirae” or “in the year of the Hijrah”.
Here in Malaysia, Awal Muharram was gazetted and celebrated as one of the 12 official national public holidays beginning 1995 according to the Holiday Act 1951 (Act 369), and prior to the pandemic, we regularly held public events and parades to commemorate the day.
(Credit: Yusri Muhamad Yusoff via Department of Information Malaysia/BNMalaysia via Twitter)
In 2020, the Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah was awarded the ‘Tokoh Maal Hijrah’ or national Maal Hijrah icon award for his contributions to Muslim society during a private event held at Masjid Negara attended by the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong (YDPA) Al-Sultan Abdullah Riáyatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, Prime Minister Tan Sri Mahiaddin Md Yasin and Religious Minister Datuk Dr Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakr.
(Credit: Bernama)
Plutonic parallels
Fun fact, according to Islam, the ‘day’ itself begins at sunset, not the sunrise and in most Muslim majority countries, Fridays and Saturdays are considered weekends while Sunday marks the first day of the week much like how they do it in Kelantan, Terengganu and Johor.
The Arabic pronunciation for the days of the week is also the inspiration behind what we here in Malaysia name ours. See if you can spot the similarities;
Al-AhadAl-IthnaynAth-ThulathaAl-ArbiyaAl-KhamisAl-JumahAs-Sabit
Read More: The Forgotten History Of Malaysia’s 6 Timezone Changes

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Source:
Dr Noor Hisham dinobat Tokoh Maal Hijrah 2020
Fahami sejarah, maksud hijrah
Islamic calendar
Months and important days
The Story Behind the Islamic Calendar
BC and AD, BCE and CE: What’s the Difference?
THE ISLAMIC CALENDAR
The Hejira, or Islamic Calendar
HOLIDAYS ACT 1951
How and Why did the Hijiri Calendar Begin?
Perayaan dan Festival
What Does The Moon Have To Do With When & How Long We Get To Celebrate Hari Raya?
Guess What? There Will Be TWO Ramadans In The Year 2030
The Forgotten History Of Malaysia’s 6 Timezone Changes


Durian Smell Causes Australian Neighbourhood To Panic, Again

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The King of Fruits has found itself in a spiky situation yet again after reports of a potential gas leak were reported in a neighbourhood in Canberra, Australia today (15 October).

Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Fire & Rescue teams were even sent to the scene to investigate the purported “leak” with firefighters on hand to locate the source of the “leak” only to be informed an hour later by a tenant living above the neighbourhood shops that the source of the smell was likely a durian.
Authorities on the scene confirmed the origin of the incident and an update was posted on the ACT Emergency Service Agency Facebook to say:
It was not a gas leak, but in fact a Durian fruit. The fruit gives off a very pungent smell and can waft some distance.
In a report by the Washington Post, Canberra resident Phuong Tran said in an interview that the neighbourhood is known for its many Asian restaurants and grocery stores.
The daily paper also said that as a multicultural country, Australia has a large Southeast Asian population, many of whom have some roots in Malaysia – a major exporter and consumer of durians.
Not the first time
(Credit: Tom Fisk / Pexels)
Just two years ago in Canberra, coincidentally on a Friday too, “a strong smell of gas” was reported inside the University of Canberra library which had hazardous materials crews searching the building and conducting “atmospheric monitoring”.
Apparently, a rogue durian had been left near an air vent.
A year before that in 2018, nearly 500 students and teachers from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology were evacuated from a campus library after a chemical hazard alert.
Almost 40 firefighters, including specialist crews, were deployed, only to find a rotting piece of durian left in a cupboard.
Australia isn’t the only country that’s ‘fallen’ at the hands of the ‘King’.
Just last year, people in Germany were even sent to hospital and caused an entire building to be evacuated from our thorny friend’s smell.
Read More: Durian: People Sent To Hospital & Building Evacuated In Germany
There’s a reason why many hotels will have a “No Durian” sign, even in countries that fully embrace the fruit – and that’s probably to avoid a public uproar and an influx of gas leak reports.

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[UPDATED] Covid-19: Murni Discovery Closes All Outlets Temporarily As 7 Cheras Staff Confirmed Positive

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Murni Discovery has confirmed that seven staff members from their Cheras outlet have tested positive for Covid-19.

This was also verified by the Ministry of Health during the daily press briefing which named the new cluster as the “Murni Cluster”.
Credit: Ministry of Health
The restaurant chain has posted on their Facebook page advising patrons who have been at that branch in November to contact the Health Ministry immediately and get tested for Covid-19.
They’ve also said that all of their restaurants will be closed temporarily as a preventive measure and advised those who ordered deliveries to take precaution if they have symptoms.
Here’s the list of FAQ’s that Murni has posted in their account to address queries about the current situation.

Based on the data from the Healthy Ministry, 518 new cases have been reported yesterday in the Klang Valley with Kuala Lumpur recording 238 cases.
Cheras, which is within Kuala Lumpur, is classified as a red zone.

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Klang Valley Hospitals Now At Maximum Capacity

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Almost all of the hospitals within the Klang Valley now have used up all of their intensive care unit (ICU) beds to treat Covid-19 cases, said Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

The Star quoted the Health DG who also said that other hospitals around the country have surpassed 70% usage of ICU beds and the Ministry is now looking for ways to accommodate space to treat those who are in severe stages of the infection.
This includes converting critical care units (CCUs) or normal wards to ICUs.
As such, the Health Ministry has issued letters to hospitals and state health department directors to take action to increase beds and their ICU capacity.Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah via The Star
READ MORE: Covid-19: Klang Valley Hospitals (KKM & Private) Are Almost At 100% Capacity
Credit: Malay Mail
More youths heading to the ICU than ever before
The Health DG said one of the reasons why there’s an increase in patients admitted to the ICU is because of the growing number of younger patients who developed severe symptoms.
Dr Noor Hisham said that the Ministry is looking to study and check the variants of Covid-19 that younger patients were infected with, based on reports from Malay Mail.
In terms of usage of ICUs, yes there is increased usage of ICUs. As I mentioned earlier, apart from the elderly, those who have co-morbidities in ICUs, the younger population is also using ICUs and the severity of cases is much higher and (there’s) resistance to treatment like steroids, etc. So in such cases, we will do the genomic study to prove whether there is a variant infection among them.Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah via Malay Mail
Another reason why more are being placed in ICU, he said was the increase in Covid-19 cases in Malaysia that are sporadic or which are of unknown sources.
The future looks bleak
Looking into near future, Dr Noor Hisham said the ministry expects new cases to reach 5,000 daily by the end of May unless Malaysians do their part and break the chain of infection.
He also tweeted the infectivity rate of the country recently, with the national average now at 1.11.
Kadar kebolehjangkitan Covid-19 atau Ro/Rt pada jangkaan mengikut kes seharian pada 9 hb Mei 2021 untuk seluruh negara adalah 1.11. Manakala pecahan mengikut negeri adalah seperti di lampiran. pic.twitter.com/p0YB5ycjzj— Noor Hisham Abdullah (@DGHisham) May 9, 2021

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[Watch] Local Boy Posing Calmly Next To Overturned Myvi Amuses Netizens

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It’s always good to stay calm under pressure but a teenage boy who was in a road accident was way too chilled.

The boy, identified only as Syadad, was driving his gold-coloured Perodua Myvi when the car turned turtle while he was making a sharp turn near Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), reported Kosmo.

Instead of panicking, the teenager posed sheepishly next to his overturned car and posted a series of photos on his TikTok account @syadad10 with the caption, “End of Oct dumb.”
He supposedly took the photos as a reminder to all road users to be careful on the road.
His car was evidently damaged, judging by the broken windows and dents. Based on his caption, Syadad was grateful to make it out of the accident safe.
Fortunately, he managed to get his car towed and went for a checkup at a clinic.
Screenshot from @syadad10/ TikTok
His calm composure amused netizens who came across his video. They jokingly reminded him that he just got out of an accident and that it wasn’t an awards show.
Some netizens also jokingly praised the aesthetics of the situation because it was the nicest road accident picture they had seen.
The netizens lauded Myvi, the King of the Road, for protecting the boy. Without missing a beat, another netizen said they felt like buying a Myvi after watching the video.

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UiTM Study Reveals Just How Badly Exploited Mamak Workers Are In Malaysia

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A group of law students from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) did a small study that shed light on just how hard your local mamak restaurant workers hustle to make an honest living.

Sharing their research on social media, the team highlighted some concerning evidence that mamak workers in Shah Alam, and maybe across the country, are being overworked.
Research infographics provided by the students for their Industrial Relation Law course assignment.(aaradhia/Twitter)
Speaking to TRP, UiTM Faculty of Law student Awangku Ariff Radin Awang Ariffin said that he and his teammates; Jihan Azman, Nurizati Kafiya Sidek and Nur Fadhila Dahlan were tasked with an assignment to investigate the level of public awareness on the Malaysian Employment Act 1955.
From a small interview sample of between one to three workers from nine different mamak stalls in Shah Alam, the researchers concluded that 95% of the respondents were working shifts of up to 12 hours a day.
Their study also revealed that workers on average only get 5.33 days of annual leave a year and were only allowed to take leave after being employed for at least three years.
Full disclaimer
Providing a full disclaimer regarding their research, Awangku Ariff explained that because the team only interviewed a small number of respondents within a period of one month, their research data might not accurately reflect the real world.
He also shared on Twitter that the team had faced some difficulties in acquiring data for their research as they had to convince mamak workers that they were not from law enforcement.
Further, he mentioned that many employees are simply afraid to come forward about their abusive working conditions.
Imagine working more than 12 hours a day, breaks only for a few minutes and cuti jumpa family only after 3 years of working. Even then, cuti sekejap je. Cannot confirm if authorities are monitoring this issue with mamak or not. Because theyre scared to reporting any abuse.— aaradhia🇲🇾 (@aaradhia) December 27, 2020
Employment Act
Employment Act 1955 protects all local and legally employed foreign workers in Malaysia who earn no more than RM2,000 per-month as well as all manual labourers regardless of their earnings.
Under the law, each employee is entitled to one whole day of “rest day” in each week and any worker who is required to work on their off days are entitled to be paid one additional day wages at his or her ordinary rate of pay.
Workers are also entitled to overtime pay – where working after hours on normal workdays are paid according to one and a half times the hourly rate of pay. Two-times the hourly rate if one works on an off day and three times the hourly rate on public holidays.
The law also dictates that an employee may not work for more than eight hours per day and no more than 48 hours per week.
Mamak expolitation?
According to a BBC report in 2011, many mamak or Indian restaurants in Malaysia employ foreign workers, mainly from India, as locals do not want to work in the industry because of the long working hours and its low wages in comparison to the cost of living in the country.
However, the dismal pay – of around RM1,800 per-month – is still said to be three times higher than what a foreign worker would normally receive if they worked in their home countries.
(Malay Mail)
A report from Amnesty International also revealed that the majority of foreign and migrant workers in Malaysia – from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Vietnam and other countries – face exploitation and unsafe working conditions besides being exposed to physical and verbal abuse by employers.
Migrant workers are also “trapped” into unrealistic employment contracts and have to pay fees, where one would spend upwards of RM4,000 for a chance to come to work in Malaysia.
Internationally known
In 2016, a restaurant called Mamak, a Malaysian street food joint in Sydney, Australia, received fines of over RM890,000 for underpaying its employees and allegedly tried to make no big deal out of it.
The workers were reportedly shortchanged out of their paychecks and said to have only received between RM37 to RM40 per-hour for at least three years when their hourly rate should have been over RM54.

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No, The Govt Never Prohibited Seniors And Children From Public Places

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The Malaysian government has never prohibited senior citizens and children from going to public places. However, they have repeatedly urged that the public refrain from doing so because the elderly and children are considered Covid-19 high-risk groups.
What you need to know: Senior Minister (Defence) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said during his daily press brief today that these groups were merely discouraged from going out because they have been identified as high-risk groups.
Why it matters: Although a lot of the news headlines sound like he said that it is prohibited, he actually never explicitly said this. He only urged and advised people to refrain from doing so.
Who said what: Ismail Sabri reminded the public that there are no penalties or punishments in doing so, but that the government still thinks it’s probably a bad idea to have them out and about.
The Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342) does not prohibit the elderly and children from visiting public places such as shopping complexes and so on. However, the government advises them not to visit such places as they are among those considered high-risk for Covid-19.Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob via Berita Harian (Translated from BM)
How it got here: The government has talked about the elderly and children being high-risk Covid-19 groups many times before. In April, the National Safety Council posted a video on Facebook reminding the public to take care of these citizens.

In May, Ismail Sabri himself urged the public to refrain from bringing children and the elderly out of the house during the Covid-19 outbreak, saying that all parties have a responsibility to ensure their high-risk family members are safe and free from Covid-19 infection.
Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah during his own press conference also echoed Ismail Sabri’s sentiments, highlighting that children may develop a Kawasaki-like disease if infected with Covid-19.
Then, in June after the recovery movement control order was announced, Ismail Sabri touched on the issue again saying that while there are no penalties put in place, precautions must be taken to protect them during the ongoing pandemic.
Read more:Warga emas, kanak-kanak boleh kunjungi tempat awamCOVID-19: ‘Jangan bawa anak kecil, warga tua keluar’Children allowed at public places but take precautions, says Ismail SabriHealth D-G Urges Protection Of Children From Covid-19 Amid Increase In Rare Kawasaki Syndrome Overseas

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Hup Seng Biscuit Factory Shut Down AGAIN, Order By KKM

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Biscuit lovers might exeperience a shortage of Hup Seng biscuits because a factory in Batu Pahat, Johor, has been ordered to temporarily suspend its operations by the Health Ministry (KKM) on Sunday, according to The Star.

This comes almost two weeks after it was first shut down temporarily on 5th to 11th September for disinfection purposes after a reported Covid-19 outbreak in the plant.
READ MORE: Hup Seng Factory Shuts Down Temporarily After COVID-19 Outbreak
The biscuit maker notes that because the factory will not be able to operate, there will be delays in the delivery of their goods to both local and export customers. For us, that means we will need to expect a shortage of Hup Seng biscuits for a while until their operations resume.
The plant will be shut down for around 10 days.
Hup Seng also noted that this temporary suspension would lead to a loss in production volume, which is estimated to be approximately 3% of the total annual production volume.
The manufacturer is cooperating and working closely with the Health Ministry during this time to ensure that the spread of Covid-19 can be contained to keep their employees safe.
Operations of the manufacturing plant is expected to resume after 30 September 2021.

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88% Of Malaysians Opted-In For Covid-19 Loan Moratorium, Says Online Poll

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A random online survey reveals that a majority of Malaysians are feeling the financial crunch of the Covid-19 crisis.
According to a quick poll done by the Credit Counselling and Debt Management Agency (AKPK), 88% of respondents had opted-in for the Covid-19 loan repayment moratorium program.
The six-month program allows individuals and small businesses (SMEs) to essentially skip out on loan repayments from April to September 2020, with no compounding interest.

How Bank Negara’s Moratorium Affects Your Loans During Covid-19 Pandemic

AKPK’s survey showed Malaysians having varied reasons as to why they had chosen to delay their loan repayments.
Some are using the moratorium period to save up for a rainy day, with 48% of respondents say that they’re saving up money for emergency funds.
Some (21%), are simply using the extra cash to spend on daily essentials.
Others are using the opportunity to strengthen their financial standings, with 16% of respondents choosing to invest money that they managed to save, and another 11% are using the chance to restructure their loans and make additional borrowings.
The rest (4%), say that they took on the moratorium with no plans or intentions.
Additionally, the online survey also reveals that 35% of Malaysians were financially stressed out by the shock of the recent nationwide Movement Control Order (MCO) period as they were unprepared and had no emergency savings to get them by.
Previously, the government said that it would be discussing with the country’s financial institutions on extending the moratorium period. However, the Finance Ministry also noted that it had no control over the banks’ final decision.

Full List of Banks That Won’t Compound Interest During BNM’s 6-Month Loan Suspension

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Source:
88 peratus pilih moratorium - AKPK
Nearly 90pc of Malaysians took up option to defer loan payments, AKPK poll finds
Government To Let Banks Decide On Loan Moratorium


Study: If You’re Left-Handed, Try Asking Your Mum How Long You Were Breastfed As A Baby

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Being left-handed in this right-handed world isn’t the easiest experience – your enemies range from writing with ink pens, to using scissors and worse, linked to increased risk of certain neurodevelopmental disorders like schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

But one of the biggest mysteries that have puzzled mankind for centuries, is why – and how- are people either left or right handed?
Credit: Kelly Sikkema/Unsplash
As it turns out, a study by the University of Washington (UW) indicates that being left-handed or right-handed is affected by how long one was breastfed as an infant.
Gathering data from 60,000 mother-infant pairs, the 2019 study found that long-term breastfeeding lowered the prevalence of left-handedness in infants, and the likelihood of them being right-handed is much higher.
This essentially indicates that bottle feeding infants are associated with left-handedness.
Credit:
Rainier Ridao/Unsplash
The study’s author, and adjunct professor of epidemiology at the School of Public Health, Philippe Hujoel says that the results actually give some insight into the development of complex brain functions.
We think breastfeeding optimizes the process the brain undergoes when solidifying handedness. That’s important because it provides an independent line of evidence that breastfeeding may need to last six to nine months.Philippe Hujoel, adjunct professor of epidemiology at University of Washington School of Public Health.
But, it doesn’t mean that breastfeeding leads to right-handedness
The study’s author is quick to point out that the study does not imply that breastfeeding leads to right-handedness.
Hujoel said that right- or left-handedness is determined early in fetal life and partially determined by genetics as well.
Interestingly enough, there are other studies that show fetuses are more likely to show left-handed movements in the womb when their mothers are stressed.
Credit: Anastasiia Chepinska/Unsplash
But coming back to this particular study, it simply shows when the region of the brain that controls handedness is localized to one side of the brain (aka brain lateralization).
What this research seems to suggest is that breastfeeding optimizes this lateralization towards becoming right- or left-handed.
So if you happen to be left-handed, time to give your mother a ring to find out your infant feeding history.

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Source:
The Health Risks of Being Left-Handed
UW study: Long-term breastfeeding sheds light on whether an infant becomes right- or left-handed
Right-handed or left-handed: Why?
Left-handed fetuses could show effects of maternal stress on unborn babies


Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Not So Sudden Anymore: Researchers Find Potential Cause

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When Dr Carmel Harrington’s son unexpectedly died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) 29 years ago, she couldn’t accept the fact that nobody knew the cause of the condition that scares many young parents.

SIDS refers to the unexplained deaths of infants under a year old and it usually occurs when the child is sleeping. Many parents fear SIDS because the cause is unknown and nobody can tell when it’ll happen.
Nobody could tell me. They just said it’s a tragedy. But it was a tragedy that didn’t sit well with my scientific brain.Lead researcher Dr Carmel Harrington told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)
She soon set out to find out the cause of SIDS for herself and the medical community as a whole.
Image: TRP File
Finding the cause of SIDS
According to Mayo Clinic, many in the medical community suspected that SIDS could be caused by a defect in the part of the brain that controls arousal from sleep and breathing.
The theory was that the defect would keep infants from startling or waking up when they stopped breathing.
Dr Harrington’s research soon discovered that this was true. Her team at The Children’s Hospital Westmead in Sydney discovered this by analyzing dried blood samples taken from newborns who died from SIDS and other unknown causes.
These samples were compared with blood taken from healthy babies.
Tanaphong Toochinda/Unsplash
According to Biospace, researchers found that the activity of the enzyme butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) was significantly lower in babies who died of SIDS as compared to living infants and other non-SIDS infants deaths.
The enzyme BChE plays a major role in the brain’s arousal pathway.
While safe sleep practices are important to protect infants during bedtime, this revelation will help relieve many parents’ guilt who were told to take several sleep precautions.
Parents who took all the sleep precautions – lay their babies on their backs, keep objects out of the crib and prevent them from overheating to prevent SIDS – still lost their babies and felt immensely guilty after.
These families can now live with the knowledge that this was not their fault.Lead researcher of the study Dr Carmel Harrington
Now that the cause is known, the researchers said it opens up new avenues for future research into specific interventions and early identification of infants at risk for SIDS.

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HITZ Finally Puts An End To Gotcha Calls After 10 Years, A Fight, & A Bit Of Drama

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Dr Jason Leong is a Malaysian comedian who has been extremely vocal about his disapproval for prank calls on radio.

In Malaysia, radio station HITZ is most well-known for their prank call segment “Gotcha Calls” which started more than a decade ago.
Thus, when the opportunity arose, a challenge was issued in the form of a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu match between the comedian and HITZ Morning Show radio announcer Ean Nasrun.
The premise was simple: if Ean wins, Gotcha Calls will continue to entertain Malaysians. If Dr Jason wins, then Gotcha Calls will end forever.
In a hard-fought match, Dr Jason emerged the winner, although Ean suffered a knee injury in his fight to save Gotcha Calls.

HITZ acknowledged and conceded their defeat, while the rest of the country assumed that this chapter of prank calls had ended.
However, a viral post by Dr Jason Leong later brought to light that HITZ once again brought back Gotcha Calls, claiming that the fight itself was a Gotcha all along.

A video posted on the HITZ Instagram account, which has since been deleted, claims that the match was “all a set-up” and that Ean had planned to lose all along in this huge prank campaign.
In the post, Dr Jason refuted that idea, stating that Ean had never planned to lose. However, after his loss, the radio station spun the story in a “disingenuous and unfair” manner.
While it would appear that the HITZ radio station was not actually ready to let go of their Gotcha Calls segment, Ean today came out with a statement, acknowledging that their U-turn on the decision and trying to turn the results into a prank was taking things a bit too far.
He and HITZ Morning Show co-host Arnold Loh posted their public apology ending the short video by confirming that Gotcha Calls are done for good, as was originally agreed upon during the match.
         View this post on Instagram            A post shared by Ean Nasrun (@eancredible) on Oct 18, 2020 at 8:13pm PDT
The important thing is that we’re sticking to our word: we said “Gotcha (Calls)” are gonna be done if you won the fight, and that’s it. No joke here. Gotchas are done, so that’s that.Ean Nasrun
So it looks like Gotcha Calls will truly end for good after a decade of entertainment. Let it not be said that it didn’t end without putting up an actual fight.

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Malaysian Novels Winning Int’l Hearts in Jan 2020

For anyone who tells you that the Malaysian literary scene is lacking, tell them they aren’t looking hard enough.
Even though we are merely a month into 2020, there’s no lack of achievements in Malaysia’s literary world.
The Weight of Our Sky
Hanna Alkaf’s striking debut novel, The Weight of Our Sky, was recently awarded with the US-based Freeman Book Awards in the Young Adult/High School Literature category.
(Credit: Hanna Alkaf)
The award was set up by the Committee on Teaching about Asia of the Association for Asian Studies and Asia for Educators at Columbia University, New York in 2016 to recognise quality books that contribute to an understanding of East and South-east Asia.
The book is set against the backdrop of the 1969 May 13 racial riots in Malaysia, and features a female protagonist who battles with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) which she visualises as a djinn. With the help of a Chinese boy, she has to dodge the riots while making her way back home.
The Weight of Our Sky is also adapted as a webcomic on Webtoons, which is backed by a fully-Malaysian team.
If books aren’t your thing, there are webcomic versions too.
The Ghost Bride
Yangsze Choo’s 2013 paranormal romance novel The Ghost Bride was recently adapted into a Netflix original series- the first Mandarin series from Malaysia!
The book and the Netflix adaptation.
The story is set in early 19th century Malacca, featuring a 20-year-old girl who has to marry the dead son of a wealthy family. Along the way, she finds herself mired in a murder mystery in the afterlife.
As such, there is a strong Malaysian presence in series, which was shot last year in Perak, Penang, and Johor. (And not in Malacca itself, ironically!)

The series is already available to watch on Netflix internationally.
The Garden of Evening Mists
Tan Twan Eng’s carefully crafted historical fiction The Garden of Evening Mists is now available to watch on the big screen as a movie.
The Garden of Evening Mists tells the story of a lone survivor of the brutal Japanese camps in Malaya. She finds a Japanese gardener who teaches her the art of Japanese gardens as she struggles with the death of her sister and her hatred for the Japanese.
The book, published in 2011, has won the Man Asian Literary Prize and the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction.
According to Tan, the movie did a great job at adapting the story into a movie format.
The film stars Malaysian actress Lee Sinje and was shot in Malaysia, mainly within Cameron Highlands.

Did you know that these Malaysian novels have made such waves? Let us know if you’ve read the books or watched the shows on our Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!


Covid-19: Two Klang School Students Confirmed Positive

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Two students, who are siblings, at a secondary school in Pandamaran Jaya, Port Klang have tested positive for Covid-19.

The Selangor Health Department revealed that the suspected source of infection is their older brother who had a recent travel history to Sabah.
While the two students have been admitted to Sungai Buloh Hospital for treatment, the school is still operating as usual but their classes have been sanitised.
On 28 September, Selangor recorded 10 new cases, including one new cluster, and all cases are linked to a travel history to Sabah.
Data released by Selangor Task Force Covid-19 also show the state currently has 29 active cases with Klang having the highest number of active cases at 13.
Selangor kini memiliki 29 kes aktif iaitu individu yang boleh menjangkiti org lain. Perkembangan merisaukan ini memerlukan kepatuhan norma baru yg amat tinggi.Warga Selangor diseru mengamalkan:✅Penjarakan fizikal✅Basuh tgn dgn kerap✅Pakai face mask#SelangorGempurCOVID19 pic.twitter.com/BxeksCqPIy— STFC_Selangor (@stfc_selangor) September 28, 2020

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Source:
Two students in Selangor, bank employee in Johor test positive for Covid-19
Kenyataan Akhbar KPK 28 September 2020 – Situasi Semasa Jangkitan Penyakit Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) di Malaysia


Crackhouse Co-Owner Rizal Van Geyzel Lodges Police Report Following Death Threats To His Wife & Family

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Comedian Rizal van Geyzel had lodged a police report following death threats directed at his wife and family, believed to be connected to the fiasco involving a stand-up comedy routine at the Crackhouse Comedy Club, which he co-founded.

According to The Vibes, Rizal’s wife received threats – including profanities and warning that it is just the beginning – through her mobile number around 4.30am yesterday.
“I’ve received lots of threats before this – name calling, swear words, verbal abuse, etc – to the point I had to change my mobile number, but this is the first time this is directed at my family.
“One death threat was made previously but we didn’t make a police report as the issue was still ongoing,” Rizal was quoted as saying.
The report was lodged at Taman Tun Dr Ismail police station.
Yesterday, multiple reports surfaced that the Crackhouse Comedy Club was vandalised by unknown individuals.

This incident took place just days after Rizal was detained and investigated for sedition, following the resurfacing of his own stand-up comedy routine where he performed the routine speaking in Tamil and allegedly insulted the Malays.
READ MORE: Crackhouse Comedy Co-Founder Rizal Van Geyzel Arrested Over Old Videos Allegedly Insulting Islam
Rizal is being investigated under the Sedition Act 1948 and the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
READ MORE: Crackhouse Comedy’s Rizal Van Geyzel Will Be Released From Police Custody Today
The videos of Rizal’s stand-up comedy routine resurfaced after a backlash from the public following a viral video of a woman claiming to be a Muslim who had memorised 15 juz of the Quran before she removed her hijab and modest clothing, revealing skimpy tight outfits during an open mic comedy skit at the Crackhouse Comedy Club on 4 June.
The woman, Siti Nuramira Abdullah, 26, had been charged under Section 298A(1)(a) of the Penal Code, which relates to deliberately causing disunity, ill will, or hatred on the grounds of religion.
She faces a two to five-year jail sentence if convicted.
Her boyfriend Alexander Navin Vijayachandran meanwhile was charged at the Petaling Jaya sessions court with two charges under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, for improper use of network facilities by making and initiating the transmission of offensive videos.
The section covers the misuse of communications networks and carries a maximum sentence of one year in jail or a fine of up to RM50,000.

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A guy in Sarawak has rabies after adopting dogs from social media

A man in Sarawak who adopted 2 dogs in March showed symptoms of rabies and has been admitted to Hospital Umum Sarawak.
Unfortunately, the patient was not sure of the dogâ€™s immunity status when he adopted his pets.

The patient then sustained scratches from his dogs, which he thought were harmless.
However, both dogs had died about 2 weeks after he adopted them.
Before dying though, both dogs showed symptoms pointing to rabies, like excessive salivation (hypersalivation), having an unsteady gait and fear of water (hydrophobia).

via GIPHY
The patient had nobly adopted 2 dogs from a friend through social media.
Because of this, Health Director General Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah reminds us to always be aware of a dogâ€™s vaccination status.

See, not only humans need to be immunised, okay?
Dr Noor Hisham reminds us to IMMEDIATELY wash any wounds caused by animal bites or scratches with soap and running water for about 15 minutes.
By having the wound cleaned with continuous running water, the risk of getting infected with the rabies virus becomes lessened.
After which, you should seek professional help at a clinic or a hospital.

(Pic Credit: kpkesihatan.com)


PAS Youth Chief Threatens To Stage Nationwide Protests If Gov Doesn’t Ban International Concerts

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PAS is adamant that concerts featuring international artists in Malaysia get cancelled and plans to hold a public protest nationwide if their call is ignored.

PAS youth chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari called on the government to cancel or rescind approvals of such events because it promotes hedonism and goes against Islam as the religion of the Federation.
According to The Vibes, he urged supporters to ensure that the message is heard by Seri Perdana – referring to the prime minister’s official residence in Putrajaya.

It’s not the first time for Fadhli to be against concerts by international artists. Previously, he said too many international concerts in the country could invoke God’s wrath.
He warned others not to challenge the “emotions of Muslims.”
READ MORE: PAS Tells Malaysians To Repent, Too Many Concerts Are Making God Angry
DAP Youth chief Dr Kelvin Yii criticised PAS’s stance and challenged the party to address real issues affecting Malaysians rather than trying to infringe on the rights of others that are protected under the federal constitution.
Fadhli also called for Selena Gomez’s concert in Malaysia to be banned in 2016, alleging that it promoted Western culture and hedonism.

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Wheelchair-Bound Man Says He’s No Longer Welcomed At Gym

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Being healthy and going to the gym is a lifestyle that many Malaysians are adapting too. However, recently a Twitter user known as @afqazman shared his bitter experience of not being allowed in the gym due to his condition of being in a wheelchair.

Dah beberapa bulan aku dok mai gym tiba2 hari nie aku diberitahu lepas nie aku x boleh masuk gym dengan alasan keadaan aku yg berkerusi roda & faktor keselamatan. Bila ditanya tentang rules & policy dia dok pusing cakap bahaya la apa laa…. pic.twitter.com/W9EXDBpfij— Jason King (@afqazmann) March 1, 2023

In the complaint which was in the form of a video, a lady was seen telling the man that she was worried for his safety.
However, the man mentioned that they knew the limits and worked out accordingly.
He also shared his disappointment of how the society is still treating disabled people and urged the government to investigate it and he mentioned that the other person in the video wearing a blue shirt is also disabled.
First time aku p gym yang x benarkan OKU masuk….Saya rasa sungguh kecewa dengan segelintir masyarat kita yg masih bersikap diskriminasi terhadap golongan OKUMohon ambik cakna tentang isu sebegini @n_izzah @SenatorRasAdiba @AbdMydin— Jason King (@afqazmann) March 1, 2023
Other Twitter users shared their concerns as well. One of them pointed out that it should be free for disabled people.
Bodoh gym ni. Normally free entry for OKU.— call me KAY (@Syakirrzk) March 2, 2023
Another netizen said that a staff should be placed to monitor and care for the disabled people who come to the gym.
Rather than saying it’s dangerous bla², why not put a staff to monitor them. Show you care n in turn inviting more people to come. Now dah name, bad review sure kena.— Fizal (@fizal_buggerz) March 2, 2023
Meanwhile, a comment from the gym owner later surfaced on Twitter, however it can’t be independently verified as it can’t be found on Google Review, where the comment was allegedly posted.
Gym owner jawab balik tanpa rasa bersalah dan tak peduli orang boikot Gym. Minta campur tangan YB @hannahyeoh @AdamAdli @SenatorRasAdiba ajar mereka polisi diskriminasi berkenaan OKU! pic.twitter.com/Nzo8aPgeJt— brothermuin 🇯🇴🇲🇾 (@brothermuin) March 2, 2023

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[Watch] Child Beggars Caught The Attention Of Netizens After Several Videos Went Viral

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Amid the urban chaos of Kuala Lumpur, a group of street urchins has been drawing the attention of netizens after several videos involving these children went viral.

Many road users were taken aback at how the kids asked them for some money.
In one recording, a woman was allegedly harassed by a few children despite reprimanding them while she was walking through a passage.
Despite being warned, the child still pulled the woman’s hand.
  @mehhr32 Reply to @itellthetruthasitis ♬ original sound – lol – ss
In the video, the woman wrote: “Once upon a time, they seek sympathy when stranded at sea, now they are here, it’s unbecoming of them”.
Her comment was in reference to how the Rohingyas got here.
Indonesia rejects a boat carrying Rohingya refugees, sending it to Malaysia https://t.co/FzJKiQ2o8o pic.twitter.com/IImgUuWXUw— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) December 28, 2021
In any case, it had not been proven that the street urchins in the video are Rohingya refugees.
Some Netizens Want Authorities To Take Action
Her sharing struck a deep chord with netizens, and the video has more than 2.3 million views in just after a day.
Some of the commenters urged the authorities to take action or they will take matters into their own hands.

However, the concern is growing among some parts of the public who feel that the authorities are not taking action to overcome this issue.
A netizen, khrln_ uploaded a picture of the group via his Twitter account claiming that he had contacted the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) but the authorities allegedly mentioned that they couldn’t do anything about it.
Nak pergi Ampang Point tadi pun kena. Call bilik gerakan pdrm diorg ckp tak boleh buat apa, pdrm tak boleh tahan sbb diorg ni ada kad UNHCR 😌 pic.twitter.com/RgaXqq83WX— 🏴K🇵🇸 (@khrln_) January 2, 2022
He claimed that the street urchins who go around asking for donations are United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cardholders, which is why no action could be taken against the group.
I wanted to go to Ampang Point earlier. Contacted the PDRM operations room and people say they can’t do anything, PDRM can’t hold them because these people have UNHCR cards.Twitter user khrln_ on why the police can’t take action against the street urchins.
He added that the relevant government departments have to discuss to find a solution.
What If They Are Refugees Protected By UNHCR?
Other netizens also questioned why action could not be taken against those who openly endanger themselves and other road users.
They feel that even if the street urchins are refugees with UNHCR cards, they should be subordinate to the laws of the country.
The government departments must explain the advantages of this UNHCR card. On what can be done what can’t be done. So that the PDRM will not be confused on what they can do and cannot do. Twitter user SyahaizatS. on the alledged privilege of UNHCR card holders
Even UNHCR cardholders can be held for cases other than immigration matters. Detention is not because they violate immigration laws, but because they disturb the peace and commit treason.Twitter user axavier_93. on keeping UNHCR cardholders accountable to the law
Already, several videos have been shared by netizens that document their encounters with these children.

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M’sian man reveals how he got away with overstaying in Australia by claiming to be a refugee

Just last week, Marzuki Yahya, Deputy Foreign Minister stated
that thousands of Malaysians are seeking refugee status in Australia as an
excuse to permanently stay in the country.
In fact, Malaysians made up over 50% of the total number of
protection visa applications received by the Australian Administrative Appeals
Tribunal (AAT) between 2017 and 2018.

This week, we hear the personal account of a Malaysian man who told The Australian newspaper how he took advantage of Australiaâ€™s human-rights friendly policies.

Picture Credit: Daily Mail

Nazuan Apis, who arrived in Australia in 2016 with a three-month
tourist eVisa, did farm work to make some cash, aaand he already knew that
he was probably going to overstay on his visa because he wanted to make more
money.

Then a Malaysian work agent approached Nazuan while he was working at Robinvale,Victoria and offered him a protection visa for only AUS$100 (~RM290).
Nazuan said 15 of his Malaysian housemates also applied for the protection visa through the same agent.
All they had to do was fill up a form and get the local police to authorise it. It was that simple.

via GIPHY
A protection visa allows foreigners to PERMANENTLY stay in Australia as long as they arrive with a valid visa. Those who apply for the protection visa must be a refugee or meet the complementary protection criteria.

Screenshot from Australian Home Affairs Department website

According to the Australian immigration website, a refugee seeking protection visa must have a â€œwell-founded fear of prosecutionâ€ based on their:

race
religion
nationality
membership of a particular social group, or
political opinion

Meanwhile, complementery protection applies to those who are not refugees but cannot return to their home country because they will face â€œsignificant harmâ€, defined as:

arbitrary deprivation of life
the death penalty
torture
cruel or inhuman treatment or punishment, or
degrading treatment or punishment

Nazuan managed to get the visa and spent over a year working
around Australia before going home to his wife and children.
 Picture Credit: Daily Mail
When he left, customs officers at the airport warned him to â€œnever
come again.â€
His story, which was initially shared on the Australian newspaper gained traction after it was shared on the UK news site, Daily Mail.

In Australia, Malaysians are the highest number of visa overstayers and the second-highest number of protection visa applicants. Wondering what kind of persecution they said they were escaping from. https://t.co/d599QY4zum
â€” Rahmah Ghazali (@rahmahghazali) July 7, 2019

In fact, in 2018 Malaysians were taking to social media to complain about long waiting time for visa approval and visa cancellations as well.

Marzuki Yahya said that itâ€™s hard for Malaysia to control the situation as many of these unscrupulous individuals would travel to Australia as tourists before getting rid of their passports and claiming to be refugees.

via GIPHY
However, he gives assurance that the ministry will be working closely with the Australian authorities to monitor the problem.
Have you noticed any change in applying for an Australian tourist visa in the past few years? Let us know on our Facebook page.


Prime Minister Says It’s Proof Gov’t Can Attract Investments After Hard Drive Maker Invests RM2.3 Billion

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Hard disk manufacturer and data storage company Western Digital will invest RM2.3 billion to increase the company’s facilities and production capacity in Malaysia, said Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

In total, the business has pumped in around RM18 billion’s worth of investments in the country.
In a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office, he said that this is an indication of the government’s ability to manage the economy and investor confidence in the administration and stability of the country while the world is still facing Covid-19.
Western Digital group’s commitment reflects the high confidence that the international investors have towards the government to further invest and expand their operations in Malaysia.Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin via Twitter
The investment will be used for expanding the facility and capacity of their factories in Penang and Sarawak.
In 2019, the export value of Western Digital Malaysia reached RM18 billion.
Muhyiddin also encouraged more companies to invest in high impact and technology based industries in the country.
The government through the Ministry of Industry and International Trade (MITI), Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) and related government agencies will always be committed to bring in more investment and convince investors to make additional investments in the country.Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin via Twitter
Kenyataan Media Pejabat Perdana Menteri. pic.twitter.com/n2iOjbFI4N— Muhyiddin Yassin (@MuhyiddinYassin) November 5, 2020

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Ampang Doctors Accidentally Left Forceps In Mother’s Body After C-Section Surgery

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A mother who underwent a Caesarean delivery at the Ampang Hospital was traumatised when it was discovered that doctors had left a pair of forceps in her abdomen after her operation.

According to reports, 29-year-old Bushra Abd Razak was said to have undergone the procedure following complications during the birth of her second child on 9 January 2020 – attended by Dr Puteri Helena Rosli and Dr Wan Shahrul Liza Saharan.
Two days after being released from the government hospital, Bushra began feeling intense pain in her left abdomen, especially when she tried to move. The pain was so bad that the mother was throwing up, constantly.
Concerned, Bushra had asked doctors about her condition but was told by Dr Wan Shahrul on 21 January that her suffering was just normal from the C-section.
Sensing that something was definitely wrong, Bushra went to seek a second opinion from a private hospital. It was then that an X-ray revealed that a pair of surgical artery forceps had been left behind inside her body after the delivery.
(Amazon)
The mother later underwent another emergency surgery to remove the foreign object from her insides – all the while not having fully recovered from her first operation.
According to her lawyers, in July, Bushra sued the doctors for damages amounting to around RM105,000 for her physical and psychological trauma. In their defence, the doctors apparently denied liability and requested to be absolved of their negligence.
The case was settled out of court after both parties reached an agreement in December. Both mother and baby were also said to be in good condition.
Malaysia’s medical negligence on the rise
According to the Health Ministry (MOH), the frequency of medical negligence and malpractice in public and private hospitals across the country had been increasing.
MOH’s records on accidents and errors had nearly doubled between 2016 and 2018, involving cases of wrong or mistaken surgeries, blood transfusion and medication errors, patient falls and cases of unintended retention of foreign objects (URFOs) – when objects are unintentionally left inside the body after surgery.
(Piron Guillaume/Unsplash)
Former Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad was quoted as saying that these incidents were fueled from the heavy workload and fatigue experienced by medical staff as well as failures in communication, teamwork and the inability of healthcare professionals to follow correct procedures, without taking shortcuts.
READ MORE: PDRM To Question Journalist Over Reports Of Deadly 2016 Hospital Fire In JB

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Source:
Woman who had forceps in abdomen after surgery settles out of court
Woman undergoes second surgery after forceps left in abdomen
Cases on medical negligence on the rise, Health Ministry’s data shows
PDRM To Question Journalist Over Reports Of Deadly 2016 Hospital Fire In JB


“Gong Xi Fa Cai” Or “Kung Hei Fatt Choy”: Which Is Correct?

Come Chinese New Year in Malaysia, you will see greetings splashed all over the place. But have you ever wondered why they are spelled, and spoken, differently? Is there a “correct” version?
The difference is the language in which it’s spoken. Gong Xi Fa Cai is Mandarin, while Kung Hei Fatt Choy is Cantonese. In Hokkien, it’s pronounced Kiong Hee Huat Tsai.
They actually refer to the same four characters, æå–œå‘è´¢, which is a common greeting during Chinese New Year.  The phrase literally means “Congratulations and prosperity to you!”.
A stylistic writing of Gong Xi Fa Cai (æå–œå‘è´¢) for Chinese New Year.(Credit: 88tph)
While most Malaysians understand whichever language the greeting is in, it would be nice to tailor your greeting for the appropriate people.
The ethnic Chinese in Malaysia originally migrated from different parts of China and settled in the country according to their spoken dialect.
As a very general guide, most of the Chinese in KL speak Cantonese, those in Penang and Klang speak Hokkien, those in Kota Kinabalu speak Hakka, and those in Johor Bahru speak Teochew.
The different Malaysian dialects are more or less localized by region.(Credit: Wikipedia Media Commons)
After that, the languages spoken became localized, which is why Penang Hokkien and Klang Hokkien are different too.
Among the ethnic Chinese that speak different dialects, they often revert to Mandarin since they can vary and can be unintelligible to someone who doesn’t speak that dialect.
Most Chinese Malaysians understand and communicate in Standard Mandarin, or the more colloquial Malaysian Mandarin.
Malaysian Mandarin is a variant of Standard Mandarin, but many consider it a dialect in its own right.
There are plenty of Malaysian vocabulary that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world.(Credit: Anfield Yee)
This is because Malaysian Mandarin uses many loanwords from English and Malay in daily conversations, which results in our well-loved “Rojak language”.
Malaysian Mandarin is also characterised by our use of glottal stops (the fancy word for ‘-lah‘ and other similar sounds) to bring significant meaning into the language.
The many variants of glottal stops that signify various different meanings.(Credit: EasyUni)
All Malaysians will likely be able to understand the different meanings of our different -lahs, but it’s actually very unique to Malaysian culture!
Even Mandarin-speaking foreigners may struggle to understand our Malaysian Mandarin because of how different it is, in terms of pronunciations and the vocabulary used.
Because of how rojak the language is, most Chinese Malaysians won’t really care if you say Gong Xi Fa Cai or Kung Hei Fatt Choy.
As long as you join in the festivities, we can all have a great Chinese New Year together.

What’s your favourite rojak language? Let us know on our Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!


[Watch] It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad World At Ipoh UTC As Hundreds Rushed To Get Their Passports

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For some time, our passports can only be renewed online.

This means you won’t be able to renew your passports at the nearby immigration office unless it’s a special case.
Only people with certain criteria are allowed walk-in appointments, such as first-timers.
Thankfully, since 9 May, you can now walk in for your passport renewal again.
Unfortunately, it resulted in long queues and recently, a mad rush at Ipoh Urban Transformation Centre (UTC).
Rat Race
As if running for their lives, people dashed into the immigration office when the shutters opened at 7.50 am.
According to The Vibes, at least 200 were already waiting, some from as early as 5.30 am.
A makeshift queue was in place despite the premises being closed, with more people turning up later in the day.
A scene of the incident, recorded by netizen Prasanna Nethyananthan, had since gone viral on social media.

Unusual Congestion Post Covid Lockdowns
In accordance with the current Immigration rules and regulations, the validity of a Malaysian passport is no longer extendable.
In this regard, a new passport application must be made to replace the soon-to-be expired passport (at least six months before the expiry date.)
The Immigration Department has advised the public to do passport processing after working hours following the counter operating until 10 pm.
READ MORE: How To Renew Your Malaysian Passport Online
Live from the UTC in Pudu to get a passports done. We arrived at 9:15 a.m. It’s 10:28 and there has been no movement. According to the first person in line (here since 8), the officers are working on yesterday’s citizens. We have inched forward over the hour, because people left pic.twitter.com/LppAjrFhiM— Claudia Khaw (@ClaudiaKhaw) May 21, 2022
The reason is to help crowds avoid the long waiting time, thus getting a more comfortable service.
READ MORE: [Watch] UTC Security Guard Acts Like Gangster, Shouts And Snatches Phone From Journalists
  @aqashahghazali Lesson learned! 💆🏻♂ Sila buat online lepas tu ambik dekat UTC! #passport #travel #Malaysia #fyp #sabar ♬ nhạc nền – yongboiz yêu em 🙂 &lt3 – Tik Toker
Director-General of Immigration, Datuk Seri Khairul Dzaimee Daud, said the extension of operating hours effective today involved six states.
They include Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor, Negeri Sembilan and Melaka.
Aku baru tahu ibu pejabat Jabatan Imigresen Perak di Meru yang besar tu tak boleh buat passport. Di Ipoh, kena pergi UTC jugak. Ada pakcik tunggu dari 6.30 pagi ya.https://t.co/gr1SFeAPY3— Ili Aqilah (@theiliaqilah) May 12, 2022

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“They Taste Soft & Sweet” – Man Finds What Looks Like Maggot-like Eggs In His Premium Mazafati Dates

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What’s the first sunnah food you think of when Ramadan arrives? Of course, it’s dates!  Surely, Ramadan is not complete without dates, right?

There are many types of dates in the market such as the Ajwa, Rabbi, Mabroom, Mazafati and many more.
Speaking of dates, recently there was an incident on social media where a Twitter user (@nikfaiqq) found maggot-like eggs inside a date.
(Credit: Lifepack.id / @nikfaiqq / Twitter)
Through a tweet uploaded by him, the Twitter user said he only noticed the presence of the eggs in a date fruit he bought for RM10 after eating a few seeds.
He added that the date has a soft and sweet texture.
Because it was a little ‘nauseating’ to see the eggs inside the date, he advised the public to wash the date before eating it to avoid the same thing from happening to them.
korang lepasni careful ya nak makan kurma. walaupun murah RM10 sekotak kena cuci betul-betul before makan. kalau tak, jadilah macam aku ni. makan dah banyak biji baru perasan ada maggot eggs, macam dah jadi larva dah. no wonder la kurma ni lembut & manis rupanya…🤮 pic.twitter.com/IXin9AgZee— nikfaiq (@nikfaiqq) March 25, 2023
Netizens couldn’t believe their eyes
With the stomach-turning picture of the date shared by @nikfaiqq, a lot of people expressed their shock and disgust in the comment section.
Turns out, a lot of people still do not wash or check their dates before they consume them.

One netizen also advised looking at the expiry date of the dates to avoid buying “bad” dates with a sandy or granulated texture.

Even more surprising, some people have also faced the same situation as @nikfaiqq.  But one of them thought that the white colour inside the date was supposed to be sugar lumps.

At the same time, other netizens also joked that the existence of eggs in dates is considered to be additional nutrition.

Others speculate that those are not maggot eggs, they’re just beetle eggs or larvae.

Bugs or pests you can find on dates
According to Zoology Malaysia in their Twitter thread a few years ago, they shared some types of problems that can cause a date to go bad.
Some of them include:
Tiny bugs (cockroaches or beetle)WormsMoth larva with its droppings (dark deposits)Black dust (mould)
Left: A worm in a date. The worm can easily be seen against daylight. Right: A bug in a date, against electric light. pic.twitter.com/iLGjmOs0Em— ZoologiMY (@ZoologiMY) May 25, 2017
This black dust is exactly that, it's excessive moisture that has caused the date to be spoiled. pic.twitter.com/SAxS2wSrrU— ZoologiMY (@ZoologiMY) May 25, 2017
So regardless the brand *you so tired*, always open & check your dates first before you eat! Jangan nak melantak je. 3 biji cukup! pic.twitter.com/cF00G9HQCf— ZoologiMY (@ZoologiMY) May 25, 2017
Besides that, Public Health Malaysia has also warned Malaysians to always peel open the dates and wash them before eating.
Jangan lupa mengopek & membasuh buah kurma sebelum dimakan. Kita tidak tahu tahap kebersihan pengendalian kurma semasa ia dipetik & dibungkus. Dalam buah kurma juga mungkin ada serangga kecil tersembunyi. Jangan bimbang, khasiat & rasa buah kurma tidak akan hilang jika dibasuh. pic.twitter.com/aQZYg6myHF— Public Health Malaysia (@health_malaysia) April 7, 2022
READ MORE: Ini Sebabnya Kenapa Perlu Basuh Dulu Buah Kurma Sebelum Makan
How to Wash Dates Correctly
It’s actually quite easy to wash dates. You just need salt, plain water, a bowl and dry tissue.
The methods are as follows:
Soak dates in salt water for five to ten minutes.Filter the soaking water.Rinse the dates with plain water.Dry the dates using a dry tissue.
Even though the fruit has been washed, don’t worry, its nutritional value remains the same and does not change.
So remember guys, wash the dates first before eating, okay?
Besides that, here are some fun facts about dates in the articles below.
READ MORE: This Is Why Everyone Eats Dates During Fasting Month
READ MORE: 5 Khasiat Air Rendaman Kurma Untuk Kesihatan Diri Ketika Berpuasa

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MCMC Confessed To Murder Of BermanaTV Twitter Account

https://twitter.com/SKMM_MCMC/status/1335390009206079490
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The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has finally come forward to confess to the murder of the parody Twitter account, Bermana TV.

The confession came in the form of an announcement posted on their own Twitter account, detailing the incident and naming Twitter as an accomplice.
MCMC together with the help of Twitter suspended the account of BermanaTV (@Bermanadotcon) which had been found to be in violation of the Community Standards set by the social media platform.

Motive
(Credit: Unsplash)
In the confession, the agency explained that their motive behind the brutal murder was to protect the people of Malaysia from fake news.
It also warned members of the public of other online parody accounts such as BermanaTV, adding that the holders of such accounts have ill intentions and seek to lie, raise suspicion and divide the community.
The victim, BermanaTV is a parody Twitter account of the official Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama).
Modus Operandi
(Credit: Unsplash)
It is believed that the murder took place sometime last week after MCMC lodged a complaint to Twitter, causing the account to disappear without a trace (you could see it was suspended, but just play along). BermanaTV’s death was only confirmed with the publication of the confession yesterday (6 December).
We at TRP came to know of the incident after a tip-off from a separate tweet by Malaysian controversial artiste Fahmi Redza, who commemorated the death of BermanaTV with a touching headstone.

R.I.P. @BermanaTv pic.twitter.com/NhrQm1D9Dd— Fahmi Reza (@kuasasiswa) December 7, 2020

Based on other tweets we saw, it also appears that MCMC has already confronted their next victim, BorneoGhost Online (@theborneoghost), who tweeted that the agency has instructed them to shut down their account, too.

We have just received instructions to shut down our account. Should we comply? We are not physically based in Malaysia.— BorneoGhost Online (@theborneoghost) December 6, 2020

It’s only a matter of time before other local parody accounts fall to the same fate at the hands of MCMC.
In the meantime, another account has appeared, @Bawangmana, claiming to be by the same people behind BermanaTV.
Whether they will fall victim to the same fate as BermanaTV, only time will tell.
*This entire thing is meant as a joke. MCMC please don’t be angry with us. We very scared la >_<

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RM1 Wak Doyok Baju Melayu Promo Slammed, Chaos At Shah Alam Boutique

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Last Saturday (1 April), what seemed to be a promotional sale went awry when the crowd went into a frenzy. Several videos went viral showing the atmosphere at Starvillion in Shah Alam.

People were seen hustling and tussling each other to enter a famous boutique that sells Muslim-wear clothing in Seksyen 7, Shah Alam. There were long lines in crowds waiting for the store to open at 10 am and there was even a riot inside when it opened.
  @nuratiraa7 Penangan baju rm1 ucilunaa smpai ke keliling bangunan penuh wehhhh🤣🤣 #bajurm1 #uciluna #pavillion #seksyen7shahalam #fyp ♬ Dj Marhaban Ya Ramadhan – ABEETX
It is believed that the huge crowd was because of a deal being offered to the first 150 people. However, over 500 people turned up at the store on Saturday, trying their luck for a free or discounted Baju Raya.
According to Uciluna, an influencer who promoted all these deals online, some even “camped” outside the premises from 2 am just to get a chance to be one of the early birds.

But things escalated when the store opened its doors. Suddenly, latecomers in groups came barging in at the front of the line and pushed each other to get inside.
Some people even shoved kids and pregnant ladies and some got into a fight. As soon as they were in the store, some people threw the boxes, tore them down and even stole them while pushing and shoving each other.
  @kaklin9776 Jualan Murah Baju Melayu RM1 di Starvillion shah alam @uciluna_ @uciluna71 @wakdoyokofficial @starvilionxuciluna #duniatiputipu #manage #kesgaduh #bajumelayumurah #bajumelayuwakdoyok #viral #uciluna #starvillion #shahalam #huruhara #kesviral #bajumelayurm1 #bajumelayu #jualan #selamatpagi #fypシ #bajurm1 #beraturpanjang #jualanmurah #ucilunagiveaway ♬ Emotional Cinematic Sad Violin and Piano – ISAo
According to Malaymail, Shah Alam Police Chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Iqbal Ibrahim said authorities were informed of a complaint around 10.30 am after a huge commotion at the boutique.
Around 11.45 am, the management agreed to cease their operations on security grounds after failing to control the crowd.Assistant Commissioner Mohd Iqbal Ibrahim, Shah Alam Police Chief
Iqbal advised the public not to be gullible with promotions during this festive period. In contrast, business owners should avoid organising any form of promotion that could mislead the public to prevent the event from happening again.
All because of RM1 sale
Some blamed the boutique for misleading marketing and poor crowd control.
A few promo videos for the store were made by Uciluna who told the public that Starvillion will be having a RM1 deal for Wak Doyok Baju Melayu for the first 100 early birds.
Besides that, there were also going to be free Kurtas for the extra 50 people afterwards, a lucky draw, an iPhone, sponsored Baju Raya clothing for 4 families and many more lucrative deals.
  @uciluna_ Ya Allah Dipermudahkan lah urusan kami  di bulan ramadhan ini 🤲🏻🙏🏻 #starvilion #uciluna #wakdoyok #masukberanda #viral ♬ Selawat Nabi Muhammad Saw – N.I.A
But according to the public, Uciluna didn’t specify the RM1 deals too clearly as it was only available for numbered customers in the marked 100 people which were, the 1st, 10th, 20th, 30, – 100th. This would mean that only 11 people were eligible for the RM1 deal, not 100 as believed.
Many found this deceiving as they were hoping to find the RM1 deal but ended up being offered a RM100 outfit.

Uciluna made a video afterwards saying that he wanted to offer more the RM1 deal to more people but he didn’t have the chance to enter the store as the crowd was raging and they even had to call the police.
Netizens were enraged at both customers and the management
According to the comment sections of the viral videos, netizens also blamed both the management and those who came barging into the store aggressively.
Some blamed the crowd for being selfish.
“This is what happens when you treat humans with money”

“Our people are so weird. It’s not like they can’t celebrate Eid without a Baju Melayu. Plus, we can only wear it for one or two days.”

Some sided with the crowd, understanding why they behaved the way they did.
“The deal was only available for 11 customers only. He advertised like the whole store was giving away the clothes for RM1. It serves the purpose of why were goods destroyed.”

“Right now, a lot of people are financially struggling. This is their chance of buying RM1 clothing. Who doesn’t want that? Don’t blame them.”

“A lot of people can’t afford it. When they hear RM1, everyone had to behave like that. My poor Malaysians.”

This serves as a reminder to the public to always be mindful and not gullible when interpreting marketing techniques by these kinds of businesses.
Businesses should also avoid creating deceiving marketing techniques that only benefit them.

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Teacher From Taiping Wins Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Award 2023

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Teachers play an important role in our lives, not just in our childhood but even as adults, as we carry their wisdom with us wherever we go. Some teachers go above and beyond to make sure they impart more than just knowledge to their students.

One such teacher from Taiping, Perak was recently recognised for his efforts and awarded the 2023 Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Award.

The Malaysian teacher, Goh Kok Ming, was among six selected for the regional category. Goh teaches mathematics at SJKC Hua Lian 1.
This year’s competition saw 11,000 nominations from 99 countries.
The Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Awards, established in 2018, is an international competition that honours and recognises the contributions made by teachers across the world.
Through this international competition, students, parents, and other educators can suggest an outstanding primary or secondary school teacher who is currently teaching.
Goh has dedicated his life in bridging the digital divide in rural areas. He has encouraged many under-enrolled pupils to learn how to code for a better future using App Inventor and Minecraft.
According to FMT, Goh is renowned for his accomplishments in instructing students in computer programming techniques to address societal issues. To inspire his students to create software, he launched the “Kampong Code” programme.
“I have always had an interest in coding and am very happy to share this interest with my students to encourage them to build coding skills for a better future,” stated Goh as reported by FMT.
Goh will also get the Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Award trophy and a total prize package worth RM2,800 in books and electronic materials.
From February 2024, he will also be depicted on the cover of the New Education textbook published by the Cambridge University Press.
Another interesting fact is that Goh is the second Malaysian teacher to receive the prestigious award.
Khalifa Affnan from the Keningau Vocational College in Sabah was named the first Malaysian teacher to win the Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Award in 2022.


[UPDATED] Ex-Prime Minister Najib Razak Found Guilty On All 7 Charges In SRC Trial

[UPDATED] Najib has been found guilty on all seven charges made against him in the SRC trial.
The seven charges, as read out by High Court judge Justice Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali, are as follows:
One count on abuse of power under Section 23 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009Three counts on criminal breach of trust under Section 409 of the Penal Code; andThree counts on money laundering under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing And Proceeds Of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.

Earlier, former Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was found guilty on one count of abuse of power.
This is in relation to the charge of him misappropriating RM42 million from SRC International Sdn Bhd, which is a 1MDB subsidiary company. The judgment was read by Justice Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali on the morning of 28 July 2020.
If convicted, Najib may face 20 years in jail and a fine of not less than five times amount of the bribe, or RM10,000, whichever is higher.
The SRC trial is just one of the five criminal trials related to 1MDB that involves the ex-Prime Minister.

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[Updated] General MCO SOPs As Of 7 May (Translated To English)

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For your convenience, we’ve been translating to English the standard operating procedures (SOPs) released by the National Security Council (MKN).

This translation is provided “As Is” so please refer to the original document in Bahasa Malaysia (linked at the bottom) where necessary.
Do note that the changes from previous SOP have been marked with ** and italicised.

Areas involved
**State/District/Mukim declared by the government from time to time.
Duration
**Based on dates announced by the government from time to time.
Activities ALLOWED
The allowed economic sectorBuying/obtaining goods or necessitiesObtaining medical treatment or medicineConducting official government and judicial duties
List of Activities that are NOT ALLOWED
Cross-district movement in MCO areas and other interstate travel without the permission of PDRM.Movement in and out MCO area without permission from PDRM.
Activities classified under the Negative List
Reflexology centres and spas.Activities in nightclubs or pubs.Activities at theme parks, indoor playgrounds, family karaoke, and movie theatres.**All sports and recreational activities that are listed as NOT ALLOWED in the General Sports and Recreation sector SOPs by Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS).Tourism activities outside/into the MCO area and in the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) area.Overseas tourism activities by citizens and domestic tourism activities involving foreign tourists entering Malaysia except for foreign tourists from countries as stated by the Minister.Any activity that could cause many people to be present at the same time which complicates physical distancing and compliance with the instructions of the Director-General of Health.Other matters decided by the government from time to time.
Credit: Malay Mail
Movement Control
The Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) is responsible for implementing control over local infected areas with help from the Malaysian Army, Malaysia Civil Defence Force (APM), and RELA. The entrance and exit of the MCO area are closed and entry is controlled by PDRM. No interstate or inter-district travel (based on district boundaries set by the state government).The number of passengers in a private vehicle is according to the capacity of the vehicle for obtaining healthcare or medical services, groceries, medicine, dietary supplements, basic and daily necessities in the same district or the nearest district if the supply of such necessities is not available in the area.The number of people allowed in the vehicle carrying goods as well as the chain of economic/industrial activities depends on the registration license.The movement of private vehicles, government departments, or private companies for the purpose of going to and from a place of work or carrying on official government affairs is dependent on the seating capacity of the vehicle. The movement of public and private operations and services is dependent on the capacity of the vehicle. All pupils/students of educational institutions are allowed to attend educational institutions across the MCO area or Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) or Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) areas according to the school calendar set by the Ministry of Education (MOE) with confirmation documents from MOE and round trips can be accompanied by parents/guardians. However, this permission is subject to the Department of Health’s risk assessment by the state government and the latest announcements by MOE. Movement of teachers/lecturers/instructors for teaching and learning purposes is allowed at schools/educational institutions with confirmation from MOE or the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE). Matriculation colleges are allowed during the MCO period. Students in boarding schools/universities/institutions are allowed to be in the boarding school/university/institution and continue hybrid learning. International examinations and professional bodies, as well as research activities that require laboratory facilities in Institutions of Higher Learning (IPT), are allowed in accordance with the SOP of the IPT and accompanied by the necessary movement confirmation by the MOHE or the relevant IPT. Movement for the admission of students to hostels for examination classes set by the MOE and MOHE is allowed with confirmation given from MOE and MOHE. Students need to obtain a movement permit letter to travel across state or district borders to return to campus from the IPT. Repatriation of students who are in the hostel is in stages according to the decision of the State Education Department. Cross-district movement for this purpose is permitted by a permission letter from MOE/MOHE/IPT.Movement for admission of students to dormitories for prescribed examination classes by MOE and MOHE is allowed with confirmation from MOE and MOHE. Students of hostels/educational institutions who are in the EMCO area are not allowed to return home. Movement in and out of MCO area for emergency cases such as death is allowed after obtaining permission from PDRM. Movement in/in and out of the MCO area for emergencies such as natural disasters is allowed. Disaster/humanitarian aid movements by NGOs need to get permission from State Disaster Management Committee or District Disaster Management Committee in the area affected by the disaster and such assistance is channeled through the Disaster Operations Control Center (PKOB) in the area. Cross-state permits are allowed for long-distance married couples by obtaining permission from PDRM. State Assemblymen and Members of Parliament are allowed to cross their respective districts and states during the MCO period for the purpose of official business or visiting consitutencies. The PCA and RGL between Malaysia and Singapore are based on agreements made by the two countries.Movement for short-term business visitors under the approval of the One Stop Center Initiative (OSC) for official/business purposes is allowed after obtaining permission from PDRM. Individuals who need to travel inter-district and interstate for the purpose of Covid-19 vaccination outside the area of residence are allowed by showing the details of the appointment on the MySejahtera application, website, or SMS.Other movements permitted in this SOP.
Activities in the MCO area
Restaurants, shops / food stalls, food trucks, roadside hawkers, street hawkers, food courts / hawker centers, roadside food stalls / kiosks are ALLOWED to operate between 6.00 am to 10.00 pm. Premises are allowed to operate until 12.00 midnight (during the month of Ramadan only).Food selling activities are allowed by take-home, drive-thru or delivery from 6:00 am to 10.00 pm. The activity is allowed to operate until 12.00 midnight (during the month of Ramadan only).Dine-in is not allowed during the MCO period. Grocery stores and convenience stores are allowed to operate between 6:00 am to 12:00 midnight or according to the terms of the license (whichever is earlier). Hospitals, clinics, and medical laboratories can operate for up to 24 hours or according to the authorized license to operate. The pharmacy can operate from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm. Daily necessities stores can operate from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm. Petrol stations can operate from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm except for those on the highway which can operate up to 24 hours. Daily markets, farmers markets, public markets, and weekly markets can operate from 7:00 am to 2:00 pm. Wholesale markets can operate from 12:00 am to 6:00 am and from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. Night markets can operate from 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm in compliance with SOPs and supervision of the People’s Volunteer Corps (RELA) or local authority members. Aidilfitri Bazaar can operate from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm in compliance with SOPs and supervision of the authorities and members of RELA/local authorities. Ramadan Bazaars can operate from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm in compliance with SOPs with supervision by the authorities and members of RELA/local authorities. However, the decision to continue or close the operation of Bazar Ramadaan, Bazar Aidilfitri, and night markets is subject to the authority of the state government through the local authority. Clinics and pet food outlets are allowed to operate from 6.00 am to 10.00 pm. Laundromats, eyewear shops, car wash centres, barbershops, and salons (barber services only) are allowed to operate from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm. Self-service dobbies must ensure that employees are at the premise to ensure compliance with the prescribed SOPs. Other activities approved by the Ministry/government agency/local authority are allowed to operate from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm.
Credit: Malay Mail
Operating and movement permission for public and private services
All economic and business sectors approved by the relevant Ministries/ Agencies can operate during the MCO period. The movement of employees is subject to a registration/approval letter and employee pass/employer confirmation letter. The movement of official government affairs must be accompanied by the employer’s confirmation document. Attendance capacity for public service employees is based on Department Circulars/Public Service Department (JPA). For the private sector, it’s based on 30% for the Management Group, and the number of operating/support employees is set by the employer.
General health protocols
Licensees and premises owners ensure control of customer entry and exit to the premises with physical distancing of 1 meter. Hand sanitizers are to be provided at the entrance and their use is ensured before entering. Licensees and premises owners are required to provide a MySejahtera QR code and provide a customer attendance registration book. The use of the MySejahtera application is mandatory in areas of widespread internet access. Exceptions are granted for areas that do not have internet access, especially in rural areas. Licensees and premises owners are to ensure that customers check in the premises using MySejahtera or manually write the name and phone number if there is no internet coverage. Customers/visitors are required to check-in with MySejahtera or write their name and number manually before entering the premises. For shopping complexes/supermarkets/department stores, customers only need to run body temperature scans only once at the entrance of the complex and not at every business premise. Body temperatures above 37.5 degrees Celsius are NOT ALLOWED to enter the complex and premises. The owners of complexes and premises need to ensure only customers who are “Low Risk” in MySejahtera are allowed to enter the complex/premises. Children aged 12 and under are NOT ENCOURAGED to be in public places and facilities except for emergency, treatment and educational purposes.Licensees and premises owners limit the number of customers on the premises based on the physical distance of a 1-meter radius. Each premise must display the total number of customers allowed at a time. Using a queue number system is encouraged for customers entering from premises. Employees, suppliers, and customers are required to wear face masks properly in accordance with MOH recommendations while on the premises. Ensure good ventilation and ventilation systems in the premises. It is mandatory to wear a face mask especially when in crowded public places EXCEPT for activities and places as follows:Own residence and involve household membersHotel Room/Paid Accommodation Alone and involving members of the householdSolitary workspaceIndoor and outdoor sports & recreation activitiesOwn vehicle and involve household membersIndoor / outdoor public areas and places without other individualsWhen eating and drinking in public without any other individual
Credit: TRP
Meetings
Face-to-face meetings of government and private agencies involving the presence of representatives of outside agencies are NOT ALLOWED and must be performed via video conference instead.
Religious activities
Islamic religious activities such as Friday prayers and congregational prayers at the mosque/surau, lectures, marriages, and funerals are PERMITTED in accordance with the ruling of the State Religious Authority. Non-Muslim House of Worship activities are PERMITTED and are subject to the conditions set by the Ministry of National Unity. Islamic wedding ceremonies (Akad nikah) in Religious Departments and mosques are PERMITTED with attendance in accordance with the ruling of the State Religious Authority. For marriage registration for non-Muslims at the National Registration Department (JPN), Houses of worship and religious associations are PERMITTED with the attendance according to the conditions set by the NRD.
Day Care Centers, Child Care Centers, Nurseries and Kindergartens
Childcare centers, nurseries, and kindergartens are allowed to operate with the permission of the relevant Ministries/Agencies. Parents/guardians who send children to childcare are allowed to use a vehicle with the allowed number of child passengers according to the capacity of the vehicle. Daycare centres for the Disabled (OKU), Senior Citizens, Women and other care centres are allowed to operate during the MCO period.
Credit: Malay Mail
**Sports and Leisure Activities
Sports and recreational activities are subject to the General SOP of the PKP Sports and Recreation Sector by the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
** Tourism and Cultural Activities
The following activities are NOT ALLOWED to operate during the MCO period:
Public tourist attraction products such as zoos, farms, aquariums, edutainment centers and others;Premises of art, culture and heritage such as museums, libraries, art galleries, centers/cultural heritage art villages, cultural performance stages, etc;Theme Parks, Family Entertainment Centres, indoor playgrounds and family karaoke.
Social Activities
Government and Private Formal and Informal Councils, Social Councils such as feasts, ceremonies wedding, engagement, wedding ceremony, reception, aqiqah ceremony, doa selamat, tahlil, birthday celebration, birthday celebration, reunion, retreat, and other social events are NOT ALLOWED. Face-to-face meetings of government and private agencies involving the presence of representatives of external agencies are NOT ALLOWED and can be done by video conference. Seminars/ Workshops/ Courses/ Training/Conferences/Talks/Exhibitions or Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) are NOT ALLOWED.
Creative Industry
Recording activities for music, concerts, filming, talk shows, and the like is ALLOWED for indoor recording (studio) but RESTRICTED in the MCO area only with a minimal number of crew and WITHOUT AN AUDIENCE as well as complying with Creative Industry SOPs. Indoor busking activities in building premises, cafes, food courts, and non-open locations are ALLOWED.
Other activities
Driving Institutes and Flight Training Centers are allowed to operate during the MCO period based on SOPs provided by the Ministry of Transport. Fishing activities are allowed to operate during the PKP period based on the SOP provided by the Department of Fisheries Malaysia. Other matters decided by the government from time to time.

For more information, you can take a look at the official SOPs in Bahasa Malaysia, or check out the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within Infected Local Areas) (Movement Control) Regulations 2021.
Although these are the General SOPs during the MCO period, do note that there are also SOPs specifically for Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Pulau Pinang and Johor.
You can find the complete list of MCO SOPs on the MKN website here.

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