SHAH ALAM, May 5 — A recycling plant in the Mahkota Beranang industrial area, in Semenyih, is suspected to be the source of odour pollution detected in Sungai Semenyih two days ago.

State executive councillor for Public Health and Environment, Jamaliah Jamaluddin, said a Lembaga Urus Air Selangor (LUAS) inspection on May 3 detected an abnormal odour in the river, with a threshold odour number (TON) of two. The pollution is believed to have originated from the factory’s discharge.

She added that further LUAS inspections found a coloured discharge suspected to have been released directly into the drainage system, which then entered Sungai Kabul. The premises also reportedly failed to comply with licensing conditions under Selangor’s Zero Discharge Policy (ZDP).

“In response, LUAS implemented comprehensive prevention and immediate mitigation measures, as the pollution posed a risk to the operations of the nearest water treatment plants (WTP), specifically the Sungai Semenyih and Bukit Tampoi WTPs.

“LUAS immediately began recovery efforts in Sungai Kabul and surrounding areas by applying about 100 kilograms of activated carbon for deodorisation and initiating intensive odour monitoring in both Sungai Kabul and Sungai Semenyih,” she said in a statement today.

Jamaliah said that LUAS ordered the premises to cease discharges and to conduct immediate cleaning and control measures at the site and related areas.

She added that mitigation measures included pumping water from Pond B and Pond C under the Selangor Raw Water Guarantee Scheme (SJAM) to supply up to 770 million litres per day of raw water directly to the Sungai Semenyih WTP, ensuring uninterrupted supply.

“Sampling was conducted by LUAS at the affected locations within the premises and has been sent to the Department of Chemistry (JKM) for further analysis.

“LUAS has opened an investigation paper under Section 79(4) of the LUAS Enactment 1999 for the offence of polluting water sources, and Section 59 for failure to comply with licence conditions,” she said.

Jamaliah also said that LUAS monitoring at 8pm yesterday detected no abnormal odour in Sungai Semenyih and Sungai Kabul, and river conditions had returned to normal.

“SJAM operations ended at 8pm, and the Sungai Semenyih WTP has resumed normal operations using raw water from the river.

“Nevertheless, LUAS will continue to closely monitor Sungai Kabul and Sungai Semenyih to ensure there are no further pollution effects or risks to plant operations,” she added. — Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 — The family of the late Teoh Beng Hock has filed a fresh application seeking to compel police to open a murder investigation into his death 17 years ago.

The application for leave to commence judicial review was filed at the High Court last month, said lead counsel Ramkarpal Singh at a press conference today, according to Free Malaysia Today.

He said the family is seeking a court declaration that Teoh’s death should be investigated as murder, as well as an order compelling police to complete the investigation within 120 days of the court order.

The court has fixed May 18 for hearing, and the cause papers will be served to the Attorney General’s Chambers.

Ramkarpal said the family had previously written to police asking whether any past investigation papers on Teoh’s death were opened for murder.

He said police replied on January 20 stating that the probe was only for “wrongful confinement” under Section 342 of the Penal Code.

Co-counsel Lim Wei Jiet said the wrongful confinement probe had no connection to Teoh’s death, describing it as a minor offence.

He also said some investigation papers had been opened before 2018, but the focus of those probes remained unclear.

Teoh, an aide to then Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead in July 2009 on the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam, hours after being questioned at the Selangor Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission office.

An inquest returned an open verdict, but the Court of Appeal in 2014 ruled that his death was caused by “one or more unknown persons”, including MACC officers.

Two special investigation teams were set up in 2011 and 2015, but both cases were classified as no further action by the public prosecutor.

Police completed the wrongful confinement investigation last year following a court order in 2024, and the Attorney General’s Chambers later classified the case as NFA, citing insufficient evidence to prosecute any individual.

KUALA LUMPUR, MAY 4 – Local singer and actor Jalil Hamid, whose full name is Abdul Jalil Abdul Hamid, has passed away at the age of 69 this afternoon in his sleep 

His daughter, Afiqah Jalil, shared the news earlier through an Instagram post, stating that the late actor breathed his last at 12:30pm at his residence.

His body was taken to Masjid Al-Munawwarah in Shah Alam, Selangor, and will be laid to rest at the Section 21 Shah Alam Muslim Cemetery after the Asar prayers.

Jalil was diagnosed with an enlarged heart after undergoing surgery around July 2022.

Due to his condition, he experienced a drastic weight loss of 30 kg and suffered from a loss of appetite.

In 2024, he expressed gratitude that his health had gradually improved and that he was able to enjoy heavier meals again.

The star is no stranger to the local scene.

Jalil began his entertainment career in the early 1980s and was known for songs such as Ayam, Raya, and Makan.

He also starred in several popular films, including Baginda (1997), Zombi Kampung Pisang (2007), Lelaki Harapan Dunia (2014), and Bisik Pada Langit (2017).

Throughout his career, Jalil won several awards, including Best Supporting Actor for Baginda at the 13th Malaysia Film Festival and Best Supporting Actor (Drama) for Calon Syurga at the 2016 Anugerah Skrin.

SHAH ALAM, May 4 — A total of 280 police reports have been lodged as of yesterday over the circulation of a caricature on social media containing elements deemed insulting to the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, on April 25.

Selangor Police Chief Datuk Shazeli Kahar said the reports were received from across the country, lodged by various parties condemning what he described as an extreme act of provocation.

“Investigations are currently being conducted under Bandar Kinrara RPT: 4809/26 and classified under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948, and Section 14 of the Minor Offences Act 1955.

“The main focus of the ongoing investigation by the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), in collaboration with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), is to track down and apprehend those responsible for tarnishing the sovereignty of the royal institution,” he said in a statement today.

Shazeli also advised the public to leave the investigation process entirely to the authorities and to refrain from making comments or speculation that could disrupt the case.

He said any further developments would be announced when necessary.

Earlier, several parties, including Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, state executive councillors and non-governmental organisations, had called on the PDRM and MCMC to take firm action against the post deemed insulting to the Sultan of Selangor. — Bernama 

SHAH ALAM, May 3 — A palm oil tanker overturned and spilled its content on the road heading to Bandar Sultan Suleiman near here yesterday.

North Klang district police chief S. Vijaya Rao said at about 1.55 pm the lorry involved, which was from Rantau Panjang, Klang, was going down a bridge when the tank lock came off the lorry’s head, causing the tank to fall into the left lane of the highway exit.

“The 49-year-old male driver did not suffer any injuries and has come forward to file a police report. The results of the urine screening test on the driver involved were negative,” he said in a statement today.

Vijaya also appealed for the cooperation of the public who have information regarding the incident to come to any nearby police station or contact Traffic Investigation Officer Insp R. Kishen Raj at 011-26249291.

The case is being investigated under Section 43(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.

Earlier, a video went viral on social media showing an oil tanker on a road in Klang suddenly loosen from lorry and overturned, spilling oil on the road. — Bernama

Hong Kong’s anti-corruption watchdog has charged two men accused of urging others on social media to boycott and cast blank votes in last year’s legislative elections.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), which oversees Hong Kong’s election legislation, said in a Monday statement that the two men, aged 38 and 63, were charged with alleged breaches of the Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Conduct) Ordinance.

The pair, both security guards, have been released on bail and are scheduled to appear at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on Thursday.

Ramirez Lam, 38, faces one count of engaging in illegal conduct to incite another person to cast an invalid vote during an election period, while Wong Wah-kwong, 63, faces one count of engaging in illegal conduct to incite another person not to vote.

Their posts were made last year, between October 24, when the nomination period commenced, and December 7, the polling day, the ICAC said.

Lam is accused of leaving a comment on a media outlet’s social media post to incite an invalid vote at the election. The post was a news report on security chief Chris Tang’s remarks that it is an offence to incite people not to vote or cast an invalid vote.

Wong shared a post by wanted overseas-based activist Alan Keung on social media, calling on people not to vote.

Keung himself faces two charges under the elections ordinance for inciting people not to vote. The activist, who also has a HK$200,000 bounty on his head for a separate national security allegation, called for a boycott of what he described as a “fake election.”

The ICAC charged three people accused of sharing posts made by Keung and another overseas activist, Tong Wai-kung, in November.

One Hong Kong woman, 61-year-old housewife Bonney Ma, was given an 18-month suspended jail sentence last month. The two other defendants are scheduled to appear in court in May.

The 2025 “patriots only” legislative polls took place on December 7, days after the deadly Wang Fuk Court fire. The 31.9 per cent turnout – a slight increase compared with the 2021 polls – was the second lowest on record.

The number of registered voters was down compared to 2021, with 32,998 fewer Hongkongers casting a ballot than in 2021, and a record 3.12 per cent of invalid votes were cast.

Vietnam’s President To Lam met with China’s leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Wednesday, Chinese state media said, hoping to deepen ties he says are a top priority.

The visit is Lam’s first trip abroad since the Communist Party leader was elected last week as president — the number two position in Vietnamese politics.

He has called ties with Beijing a “top priority” but faces a precarious balancing act between the United States — Vietnam’s main export market — and the country’s largest supplier China.

Xi and Lam met on Wednesday morning in Beijing’s opulent Great Hall of the People, and signed several cooperation agreements, state broadcaster CCTV said, without providing immediate details.

Lam wrote in an article published in China’s state-run People’s Daily on Tuesday that ties with China were a “strategic priority” for Vietnam.

“Cooperation between the two countries needs to move strongly from ‘increasing scale’ to ‘improving quality’; from expanding trade to deeper connections between development strategies, economic corridors, production chains, supply chains, and strategic infrastructure,” he wrote.

He reiterated that China was a “strategic choice and top priority” during a speech at Beijing’s Tsinghua University on Tuesday, Vietnamese state media reported.

Despite rival territorial claims in the South China Sea, the two countries have sought to deepen already close economic ties to guard against global trade upheaval caused by US President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Chinese exports to Vietnam surged 22.4 percent last year, with Vietnam spending $198 billion on Chinese goods — more than any other country in Southeast Asia.

But Chinese imports from Vietnam fell 0.7 percent, leaving Hanoi with a huge deficit close to US$100 billion with Beijing.

Lam is one of a string of leaders to visit this week from countries impacted by the Middle East war and its economic fallout, including Russia’s top diplomat Sergei Lavrov, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Both Vietnam and China get much of their oil imports via the Strait of Hormuz, where shipping has largely been halted due to the US-Israeli war with Iran.

However, Hanoi sees rivalry between top trading partners the United States and China as a major impediment to its ambitious goal of achieving double-digit growth over the next five years.

Last week, Xi expressed his willingness “to work with To Lam… to continuously strengthen our respective socialist causes”, as he congratulated the Vietnamese leader on his election, Chinese state media reported at the time.

The Army General highlighted the Vietnamese leader’s proven ability to continue guiding his nation in the construction of socialism