4 Indians held in Malaysia for possessing turtles without permit
Four Indians have been detained by Malaysian authorities here for investigation after the seizure of more than 1,000 exotic turtles worth Rs 99 lakh during a sting operation.
Natural resources and environment minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the Indian nationals were detained to assist in investigations.
The seizure by the Wildlife Crime Unit was worth an estimated RM 600,000 (Rs 99 lakh).
Wan Junaidi said two suspects were detained when a house in the suburb of Petaling Jaya was raided on Monday. “A total of 1,011 star tortoises and 23 Indian roofed turtles were seized,” he said.
Two more suspects were picked from a budget hotel here on Tuesday. Wan Junaidi said enforcement officers found 36 black pond turtles in four bags.
Checks showed all four suspects did not possess a licence from the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) to keep the reptiles.
The suspects will be investigated under Section 68 of Malaysia’s Wildlife Protection Act of 2010 for keeping wildlife without a special permit. The offence carries a jail term of up to three years, a maximum fine of RM 100,000, or both.
Less time to read?
Try Quickreads
-
Pak will not hold elections before 2023, warns Imran Khan against 'gravedigging'
Pakistan's Shehbaz Sharif-led government has rejected demands by ousted prime minister Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to hold elections immediately. N) said polls would only be held in August 2023 - after the government finishes its term - a report by Pakistan's Express Tribune said quoting sources. He would meet protesters on the Srinagar highway. However, per Pak media outlets, the government will not allow Imran Khan's rally at that location.
-
Sri Lanka hikes fuel prices; petrol at all-time high of 420 rupees per litre
Crisis-hit Sri Lanka on Tuesday raised the petrol price by 24.3 per cent and diesel by 38.4 per cent, a record hike in fuel prices amidst the country's worst economic crisis due to the shortage of foreign exchange reserves. With the second fuel price hike since April 19, now the most-used Octane 92 petrol would cost 420 rupees (USD 1.17) and diesel 400 rupees (USD 1.11) a litre, an all-time high.
-
'Is Russia not big enough...': Ukraine grandma asks Putin after home is bombed
'God heard me... God is watching over me' - the fervent words of 82-year-old Maria Mayashlapak, who clings to life in Ukraine's Bakhmut afteMaria'ser home was destroyed by Russian artillery fire, forcing her to live among the ruins and in fear of the next - fatal - attack. Entire houses have been wrecked and only burnt wooden posts and piles of mud remain where once there were picturesque village homes.
-
'I kill criminals, not kids...': Philippine's Rodrigo Duerte smacks down Putin
Outgoing Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte sharply criticized Russian leader Vladimir Putin for the killings of innocent civilians in Ukraine, saying while the two of them have been tagged as killers, “I kill criminals, I don't kill children and the elderly.” Duterte, who steps down on June 30 when his turbulent six-year term ends, has presided over a brutal anti-drugs crackdown that has left more than 6,000 mostly petty suspects dead.
-
China hopes UN rights chief's visit will ‘clarify misinformation’
China's foreign minister told the United Nations' human rights chiefWang Yie hopedMichelle Bachelet'sr landmark visit would help to "clarify misinformation", ahead of her visit to the Xinjiang region. Bachelet is expected to visit the Xinjiang cities of Urumqi and Kashgar on Tuesday and Wednesday as part of a six-day tour -- the first to China by a top UN rights official since 2005.
