Food safety warnings from the EU declined sharply from 64 cases in 2024 to 17 in 2025 thanks to strengthened inspections, traceability measures and corrective actions.

LABUAN, May 13 — A residential area at MPL Housing near Tanjung Aru here was hit by a tornado-like storm last night, damaging 33 houses and leaving one man injured.

The victim, identified as Wong Kwet Kiong, 64, suffered head injuries after being hit by flying debris.

The incident, which occurred at about 9.40 pm, saw strong winds ripping off rooftops, damaging several vehicles and uprooting large trees in nearby areas.

Labuan Fire and Rescue Department director Abdul Rahman Ali said the department received a distress call at 10.12 pm before dispatching a fire engine with eight personnel to the scene.

“When we arrived, the housing area was in darkness following a power supply disruption. Several roads were blocked by scattered debris and fallen objects.

“We were unable to determine the actual number of affected residents as many of them had already moved to their relatives’ homes for temporary shelter,” he told Bernama when contacted today.

He added that firemen focused on clearing the roads and removing debris to ensure the area was safe for residents and emergency access.

“Several vehicles parked near the affected houses were also damaged after being hit by falling debris, while a number of large trees in the vicinity were uprooted by strong winds,” he said,

One of the victims, Azahar Aziz, 36, said he was at home with his parents and siblings when the incident occurred.

“It started with rain, followed by lightning and strong wind. When we noticed the winds getting stronger, we quickly closed the windows.

“Not long after that, the roof was blown away and the house was flooded. We are now staying at a relative’s house,” he said. — Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR, May 13 — Professional wrestling demands sacrifice, discipline, and an unshakable drive, with only a rare few willing to keep pushing themselves in pursuit of success.

In Malaysian Pro Wrestling (MYPW), Miles Karu, known as ‘The Lyrical Lightning’, has built his career steadily since 2019, earning recognition through regional matches, title wins and a deep commitment to the sport.

His years in the ring have taken him to promotions across the region, including SPW in Singapore, VPW in Vietnam, SETUP in Thailand, and DXCN in the Philippines.

As part of the Juicy Boyz, alongside The Wonderboy, he made history by becoming the first Malaysian to capture the SPW Southeast Asia Tag Team Championships at the 2024 Champions Quest.

His recent victory over Shivam at New Breed 4 to claim the Southeast Asia Championship marked another key moment in his career.

Miles is now set for another major step as he embarks on a three-month tour in Japan, competing for the well-established DDT Pro-Wrestling promotion.

“Wrestling in Japan was definitely one of my biggest goals. I'm a huge fan of Japanese wrestling, so I'm excited for this opportunity to bring the Southeast Asia Championship there and represent the region!

“I always wanted to and had a goal to strive for a chance like this.

“At the start, I naively thought it was possible, and I could definitely do it, but over the years, I thought it seemed like a far-fetched goal, but here we are now!” he shared with Malay Mail.

Miles Karu announces his upcoming DDT Japan tour after winning the Southeast Asia Championship at New Breed 4 last month. — Picture courtesy of MYPW

The tour marks an important milestone for Miles, while also placing Malaysian and Southeast Asian professional wrestling before a wider audience.

Miles will be based in Tokyo and is expected to wrestle in and around the area from mid-May to mid-August.

When asked who he would love to share the ring with during the tour, he named several well-known DDT stars.

“There are many that I would love to get in the ring with. To name a few that work with DDT currently, Chris Brookes, Kazuki Hirata, MAO, Takeshi Masada, and maybe even Minoru Suzuki are definitely on my list!”

His first match of the tour has already been announced for May 16 at Radiant Hall in Yokohama, Kanagawa, for the NihaoDramatic Dream Tournament 2026 event.

Miles will team with Yukio Naya and Seiki Inaba to take on Kazuma Sumi, Daichi Sato, and Akito in a six-man tag match.

Through this tour, he hopes Japanese fans will enjoy his wrestling style, remember his performances, and become more familiar with MYPW and the Southeast Asian wrestling scene.

For a Malaysian professional wrestler, the opportunity is significant not only for Miles personally, but also for a local scene that continues to grow despite remaining niche.

His tour also reflects the growing recognition of Malaysian and regional wrestling talent by international promotions.

Miles Karu and The Wonderboy make their entrance at the 2024 Champions Quest event before becoming the first Malaysians to win the SPW Southeast Asia Tag Team Championships. — Picture by Firdaus Latiff

“Training is the most important thing; never stop training,” Miles said, when asked what advice he had for up-and-coming Malaysian pro wrestlers.

“Just because you feel you reach a certain level, doesn't mean you shouldn't continue to drill and train with the boys and girls multiple times a week.

“Get yourself out there, wrestle around the region, and work with and meet as many people as you can in the region.”

He added that he had met and wrestled many hardworking and talented names throughout the region.

“Matching their work ethic and striving for more is important!” he concluded.

Miles’ Japan tour will see the reigning Southeast Asia Champion compete in DDT while sharpening his craft and gaining experience in one of professional wrestling’s most established markets.

For Miles, it is a chance to test himself abroad while introducing more fans to Malaysian and Southeast Asian professional wrestling.

KOTA KINABALU, May 13 — Nine work packages under Phase 1A of the Sabah Pan Borneo Highway project are expected to be fully completed and opened to motorists this year, Deputy Works Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan said.

The packages are PK1 (Sindumin to Kampung Melalia), PK3 (Beaufort to Bongawan), PK4 (Bongawan to Papar), PK7 (Inanam to Sepanggar), PK8 (Sepanggar to Berungis), PK10 (Pituru to Rampayan Laut), PK11 (Kampung Maya to Baungon), PK29 (Moynod to Sapi Nangoh) and PK30 (Sapi Nangoh to Telupid).

“Previously, four out of the 15 work packages under Phase 1A were completed in stages between 2023 and 2025. Another nine packages are expected to be completed this year, and this is certainly good news for the people of Sabah,” he told reporters after visiting the Sabah Public Works Department office at Wisma Pan Borneo in Putatan today.

Phase 1 of the Sabah Pan Borneo Highway project comprises 35 work packages covering a total alignment of 706km from Sindumin to Tawau.

The project is divided into Phase 1A and Phase 1B to streamline implementation and financing.

Ahmad said another four work packages are expected to be completed next year, namely PK2 (Kampung Melalia to Beaufort), PK12 (Sarang to Temuno), PK19 (IGN Estate to Agri Harvest) and PK28 (Batu 32 Sandakan to Moynod).

“We also expect 12 work packages to be completed in 2028, another three in 2029 and the final three packages by 2030. I do hope that any package that can be expedited will be accelerated to resolve long-standing issues faced by the people,” he said.

He also noted that two work packages involving the Putatan and Manggatal routes would be opened to motorists from July, allowing traffic to bypass Kota Kinabalu.

“This will help reduce congestion, and road users who do not have business in Kota Kinabalu are encouraged to use the route to ensure smoother travel,” he added. — Bernama

KUANTAN, May 13 — The Pahang government has identified several forest areas to be proposed as new Permanent Forest Reserves (HSK) to balance development needs with environmental conservation, the State Assembly was told today.

Pahang Menteri Besar Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail said the state executive council,  at its meeting last April 22, approved an application to gazette government land within the Central Forest Spine Ecology network, namely the Bera Forest Reserve and the Bera Ramsar Reserve, as HSK areas involving a total of 524 hectares.

“The total area of Pahang is 3.60 million hectares, while the size of the Permanent Forest Reserves currently stands at 1.589 million hectares, representing 44.13 per cent of the state’s total land area.

“One of the state government’s key policies through the Pahang Forestry Department is to implement the concept of Sustainable Forest Management in forest management,” he said.

He was responding to a question from Mohd Zakhwan Ahmad Badarddin regarding the size of the state’s forest reserves and policies aimed at balancing development with environmental preservation.

Wan Rosdy said the state government would continue ensuring that any HSK area degazetted for economic development purposes would be replaced with another forest area of equivalent value.

“The current state policy requires every approval for degazettement to be accompanied by a replacement area. I have reminded the forestry department to ensure the replacement area is genuinely available before any approval is granted,” he said.

He added that about 762,000 hectares, or 49 per cent of the total HSK area, are classified as production forests for sustainable forest product activities.

“The protected forest area covers about 820,000 hectares, equivalent to 51 per cent. These areas cannot be logged at all. However, if development needs arise, the area may be degazetted on the condition that it is replaced with another equivalent area,” he said.

Responding to a supplementary question on compensation received for forest conservation efforts, Wan Rosdy said Pahang had received about RM72 million in ecological fiscal transfer allocations through federal government project grants since 2022.

“I have also requested Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to provide the allocation in cash. If it cannot be fully given in cash, I requested at least 50 per cent in cash and the remainder in projects, but so far all allocations have been channelled in the form of projects,” he said. — Bernama

MAY 13 — May 13 is quiet in Malaysia. That is the problem.

It arrives every year with the strange stillness of something everyone knows, but few are willing to touch. There are no serious national hearings, no shared public mourning, no open civic ritual, no national reckoning worthy of the wound. It is remembered mostly as a warning. Do not play with race. Do not provoke. Do not reopen old wounds. But this silence is not healing. It is obedience mistaken for peace.

May 13 was never supposed to become quiet. A tragedy of that scale should have made the country more truthful, not more careful. It should have forced Malaysia to ask what kind of nation it was building, who had been left behind, who had been made afraid, and who benefited when fear became political currency. Instead, May 13 became a ghost kept behind glass. Visible enough to frighten, hidden enough to avoid scrutiny.

The facts remain stark. The violence followed the May 10, 1969, general election, when the Alliance coalition retained power but suffered major losses. Its strength in Peninsular Malaysia fell from 89 parliamentary seats in 1964 to 66 in 1969, while opposition parties such as DAP, Gerakan and PAS gained ground. In Kuala Lumpur, opposition victory processions, some reportedly accompanied by racial taunts, were followed by Malay mobilisation around the home of Selangor Menteri Besar Harun Idris in Kampung Baru. An early clash occurred in Setapak. By the night of May 13, violence, arson and killing had spread through the city. Emergency rule followed. Parliament was suspended. The National Operations Council, led by Tun Abdul Razak, assumed control. Official figures put the death toll below 200, while other estimates have long suggested higher numbers. Malaysia still does not have a fully open, authoritative public accounting of what happened.

That absence is not accidental. It has shaped the country.

When a nation cannot name its dead honestly, it leaves the dead available for political use. When memory is guarded by authority instead of shared by citizens, history becomes less a record than a weapon. May 13 became the most powerful silence in Malaysian politics. It could be summoned when convenient and suppressed when necessary. It became the shadow behind phrases like sensitivity, harmony, and social contract. Those words are not empty, but they have often been used to discipline truth rather than deepen understanding.

That is the part Malaysia must be brave enough to say. The country is not simply divided by race. It is divided by who can profit from race. — Picture by Devan Manuel

The result is a country trained to be careful but not necessarily just. Malaysians learned how to avoid explosions, but not how to speak honestly about humiliation, inequality, and suspicion. They learned how to perform calmly, but not how to build trust. They learned to say never again, while leaving untouched the structures that keep the old fear alive.

This is why truth and reconciliation matter. Malaysia has never truly attempted it. It has had slogans, formulas, schoolbook summaries, and official memory. But truth and reconciliation is not a public relations exercise. It is not asking citizens to move on before the country has agreed on what happened. It is not forcing victims and descendants to forgive while records remain closed and uncomfortable questions remain unwelcome.

Real reconciliation begins with truth. It would mean opening archives, recording survivor testimonies, clarifying casualty figures, examining the role of political actors, and acknowledging state failures without turning the process into a racial courtroom. It would mean allowing grief to belong to the nation, not to one community alone. It would mean admitting that every community carries both pain and prejudice, both memory and myth. Without truth, reconciliation becomes etiquette. People smile across the table while suspicion survives underneath.

The New Economic Policy, introduced after the riot, must also be discussed with moral seriousness. It sought to reduce poverty regardless of race and restructure society so that race would no longer determine economic function. Malay insecurity was real. It came from colonial economic segregation, rural poverty, uneven opportunity and the fear that political sovereignty without economic dignity was fragile.

But a policy born from a real wound can still be captured by power. Over time, protection too often became patronage. Uplift became entitlement for the connected. Malay poverty remained useful as a political image, even when poor Malays themselves did not always receive the greatest benefit. Criticism of abuse was too easily treated as criticism of Malays. That move is one of the oldest tricks in Malaysian politics. It protects elites by hiding them inside the community.

The same racial machinery injures others, too. Non-Malay frustration is not treason. It grows from the feeling that citizenship can be equal in law but conditional in practice. Malaysian Indians have often been pushed to the margins of a conversation framed around Malay and Chinese anxieties. Orang Asli, Orang Asal, Sabahans and Sarawakians are too often treated as footnotes in a country that speaks of diversity but centralises only certain histories. The poor Malay, the struggling Indian family, the excluded Orang Asli village, and the non-Malay student blocked from opportunity are not natural enemies. They are often trapped inside the same system, where ethnic fear protects class privilege.

That is the part Malaysia must be brave enough to say. The country is not simply divided by race. It is divided by who can profit from race.

May 13 is quiet today because too many people have learned to benefit from its silence. Fear wins elections. Fear justifies censorship. Fear protects patronage. Fear tells citizens to be grateful there is no blood on the streets, while refusing to ask why distrust remains in the heart.

May 13 is not proof that Malaysians should speak less about race. It is proof that Malaysia has never learned to speak about race truthfully. The riot did not begin only on the streets, and its legacy did not end when the fires were put out. It survives wherever history is managed, wherever fear is rewarded, wherever equality is treated as provocation, and wherever justice is postponed in the name of harmony. The question is no longer whether Malaysia remembers May 13. The question is whether Malaysia is brave enough to stop using memory as a warning and start treating it as a responsibility.

*Khoo Ying Hooi is an associate professor at Universiti Malaya.

** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.  

KUALA LUMPUR, May 13 — Fugitive Malaysian financier Low Taek ‌Jho, a central figure in the multibillion-dollar scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), should not be pardoned, the chairman of the 1MDB taskforce said today, after a report said Low ‌was seeking clemency from US President Donald Trump.

Low, widely known as Jho Low, faces multiple charges, including corruption and money laundering in the United States and Malaysia, for the key role he allegedly played in the misappropriation of at least US$4.5 billion from 1MDB.

He has consistently denied wrongdoing, and his whereabouts are unknown.

Low recently filed a request for a pardon that, if granted, would remove US criminal charges against him, The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday, citing people familiar with the matter.

A White House official said Low’s request was not currently on the White House’s radar, the report said.

The ‌US Justice Department website lists a pending request for a “Pardon after Completion of ⁠Sentence” under Taek Jho Low that was filed ⁠this year.

Johari Abdul Ghani, the chairman of a Malaysian ⁠task force seeking to recover funds and ⁠assets linked to ⁠1MDB worldwide, said Low’s request should be denied and the United States should instead assist Malaysia in locating Low for further investigations.

“As far as I’m concerned, I’m against the ⁠pardon,” Johari, who is also trade minister, said in a text message when asked about the WSJ report.

Johari added he was unaware of any talks between Low and Malaysia to return assets.

The WSJ reported that Malaysia had temporarily lifted an Interpol red notice against Low that would make him subject to arrest almost anywhere in the world ⁠to facilitate the return of significant assets to the country.

In 2019, the United States struck a deal to recoup about US$1 billion from Low, with the ⁠fugitive agreeing to give up a private jet and high-end real estate in Beverly Hills, ⁠New York, and ⁠London, among other assets.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in 2023 that the government was negotiating with other countries to speed up Low’s return, though he declined to name the nations involved.

Authorities ‌have previously said Low was believed to be in China, though Beijing has denied it. — Reuters 

SINGAPORE: The current ‘cautious hiring’ environment in the job market has Singaporeans job-hugging, and with retrenchments making headlines left and right, even HENRYs (High Earner, Not Rich Yet) are discussing how to live frugally and downsize their lifestyles to brace for impact.

One wrote on r/SgHENRY, saying, “It feels like being a HENRY right now is a bit of a tightrope walk, where the 15k–25k/month Professionals, Managers, Executives, and Technicians (PMET) bracket could be the first to get trimmed when companies want to ‘lean out’ or pivot to artificial intelligence-led workflows.”

Asking other HENRYs, he added, “Is anyone downsizing your lifestyle because of layoff fears? And those looking for jobs, do you find it harder to negotiate the same packages as before in this ‘cautious hiring’ environment?”

HENRYs who were once laid off shared their experiences and advice in the comments.

One commenter, who was the first to be let go when his company had to cut expenses, said he had to learn it the hard way in his 20s. “Retrenchment doesn’t hit the most incompetent. It hits the most expensive, indispensable person,” he said.

Another who was let go in his 30s said that after experiencing his first retrenchment, he told himself “not to be caught off guard again” and prepared for the next one.

“I managed to keep the job for 10 years before getting the axe again in my late forties. However, thanks for my mindset, I was frugal and invested heavily during that 10 years and was mentally and financially prepared for the second retrenchment.”

Now, with his new job, he looks forward to retiring in five to seven years’ time—this time, though, he says, he would actually be grateful to be retrenched.

A third, however, noted that job cuts nowadays hit everyone, “even the extremely cheap people.”

Several others shared that while they have not downsized their lifestyle, they have refrained from upgrading their property for the sake of upgrading, while those who have downsized from a landed property to a penthouse shared that they saved a lot on maintenance fees.

Some noted they did not really need to downsize anything because they have always lived a minimalist or “lean” lifestyle—no taking Grab, cutting down on restaurant food and opting for hawker meals or meal prepping, no buying new stuff unless essential or to replace broken things—all while saving and investing at the same time. /TISG

Read also: ‘It’s super quiet now’: Singaporeans share how they cope with months of unemployment

This article (‘Retrenchment hits the most expensive, dispensable person’: HENRYs discuss frugal living and lifestyle downsizing amid job cuts) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

GEORGE TOWN, May 13 — The Penang Port Commission (PPC) has strengthened precautionary and health surveillance measures at the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal (SPCT) following international reports of a cluster of Hantavirus cases linked to a cruise ship.

PPC chairman Datuk Yeoh Soon Hin said although no Hantavirus infections have been reported in Malaysia so far, the commission is treating the matter seriously to protect passengers, ship crew and the local community by strengthening ship sanitation inspections and rodent‑infestation monitoring within the terminal.

“These measures are being implemented in accordance with the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) and in close collaboration with the Health Ministry (MOH) and relevant agencies.

“Emphasis is placed on early detection of any health‑risk indicators so that prompt action can be taken and the terminal’s health facilities are on standby to manage any suspected cases,” he said in a statement today.

Yeoh said infectious‑disease surveillance activities have been intensified, including event‑based surveillance, to detect any unusual incidents quickly.

He said cross‑agency cooperation with the Department of Veterinary Services and local authorities has been strengthened to maintain vector control and environmental hygiene.

Meanwhile, he also advised all passengers and crew to adopt preventive measures, including avoiding contact with rodents or their droppings, wearing masks and gloves when cleaning contaminated areas.

He also advised them to seek immediate medical attention if they develop symptoms such as fever, muscle aches, cough or shortness of breath after being in a potentially exposed environment.

Earlier, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said Malaysia is fully prepared to face the threat of Hantavirus infection, although no cases involving Malaysians have been reported to date.

International media have reported that European countries are tightening monitoring and quarantine measures following a Hantavirus outbreak aboard the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius. — Bernama