Two men pinned to death under 10-ton lorry loaded with stones

SIBURAN, Jan 16 2026: Two men were pinned to death under a 10-ton lorry while they were repairing its brakes this afternoon.

Caption: Firemen have to engage two excavators to retrieve the bodies of two men pinned to death under a lorry 

The incident happened in the quarry area at about 2pm on Jalan Mambong, Siburan.

A spokesman of the Siburan Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) station said the victims were identified as Laga anak Tegong, 45, and Sady Joe anak Liam, 26.

He said Siburan Bomba has to deploy two excavators, belonging to a quarry company, to lift the stone-loaded lorry to retrieve the bodies of the two victims.

The bodies of the two victims were surrendered to the police for further action.

In an unrelated case, the body of a 44-year old Indonesian who who fell off a ship while he was talking a bath three days ago in Sibu, has been found floating at Sungai Ulu Lepa, some 69km from the spot where the incident took place.

The residents of Rumah Dadat, Bintangor, found the body and immediately informed the Bintangor police.

Muhaji fell into Batang Rajang was witnessed by a ship crew member, Rasit Benang, who saw the victim was about to take his bath and then suddenly fell into the river.

The incident happened about 1.45pm on Jan 13.

A police report was lodged later in the day.

Sarawak will not waver in its commitment to fight for the rights and protection enschrined in MA63

KOTA KINABALU, Jan 16 2926: Sarawak’s Attorney-General Saferi Ali has reiterated that the state government will not waver in its commitment to fight for the rights and protections enshrined in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), including the aspiration of one-third parliamentary representation for Sabah and Sarawak and the implementation of the Order under Article 95C of the Federal Constitution.

Caption: Sarawak's Attorney-General Saferi Ali says the allocation of one-third parliamentary representation for Sabah and Sarawak has served as an institutional safeguard mechanism  

He said efforts to restore constitutional balance as intended during the formation of Malaysia continue to be implemented through legal and constitutional channels, based on the spirit of MA63 and the Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) Report.

According to him, historically, the allocation of one-third parliamentary representation for Sabah and Sarawak has served as an institutional safeguard mechanism to ensure the meaningful participation of the Borneo states in the process of law-making and amendments to the Federal Constitution.

“This effort is being implemented through structured engagement, consensus building and full compliance with the Federal Constitution, MA63 and the IGC Report,” he said when delivering his speech during the opening of the Sabah and Sarawak Legislative Year 2026 at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) today, quoted by Sarawak Public Communications Unit (Ukas)

He also noted that several matters related to MA63 had made significant progress, among them the amendment of the Sarawak Labour Ordinance which came into effect on 1 May 2025, thus restoring Sarawak’s regulatory autonomy in labour matters.

In addition, the reclassification of Bintulu Port as a state port also strengthened Sarawak’s role in the state’s economic governance.

However, Saferi said there were still matters that had not been finalised, including the need to gazette an Order under Article 95C of the Federal Constitution to empower the Sarawak government to manage scheduled waste.

“This matter has been agreed by all parties and its implementation needs to be expedited to enable Sarawak to have full control over environmental management,” he said.

He welcomed the High Court’s decision which confirmed Sabah's right to 40 per cent of state revenue under Article 112C of the Federal Constitution, stressing that the decision also confirmed the federation's obligations towards Sarawak, subject to judicial review.

He said that under Article 112D, Sarawak was entitled to periodic financial reviews and ongoing negotiations to achieve a fair and transparent method.

“The Sarawak government has submitted a formula to the federal government to expedite the financial review process. Pending the finalisation of the formula, the Interim Special Grant has been increased to RM600 million per annum starting 2025,” he said.

He added that Sarawak would continue to negotiate constructively and in good faith, with the hope that a sustainable long-term solution could be reached to strengthen the Federation of Malaysia as a whole.

The ceremony was also attended by Chief Justice of Malaysia Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh,  President of the Court of Appeal Abu Bakar Jais, Attorney General of Malaysia Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar, Chief Justice of Malaya Hashim Hamzah, Chief Justice of Sabah and Sarawak Azizah Nawawi,  Attorney General of Sabah  Brenndon Keith Soh and Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform), M. Kulasegaran V. Murugeson.

Sarawak police say the deaths of a primary school headmaster, his wife were due to chest and neck injuries

KUCHING, Jan 16 2026: Sarawak police confirmed today that the deaths of a couple in Simanggang two days ago were due to stab wounds.

Caption: Sarawak Police Commissioner Mohamad Zainal Abdullah says the causes of deaths of the two victims were to chest and neck injuries 

Police Commissioner Mohamad Zainal Abdullah said the male victim, a primary school headmaster, has 11 stab wounds on the chest and neck while his wife, a nurse, has stab wound on the neck.

In a statement, he said the cause of death of the male victim was due to the “neck and chest injuries  due to the stab wounds.”

He said the cause of death to the female victim was due to “neck injury due to the stab wound”.

The police chief said a post mortem was conducted on the two victims by the pathologists from the Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) yesterday.

Mohamad Zainal said the Simanggang police have taken statements from 21 individuals including family members, the colleagues and neighbours of the two victim.

“However, the motive of the murder is still  being investigated,” he said, adding that the Sarawak police will ensure that investigation will be carried out professionally, transparently and based on evidence.

On  Jan 14, a primary school headmaster and his nurse wife were found dead with serious bodily injuries at their home in Taman Mutiara, Jalan Brayun, in Simanggang.

Mohamad Zainal, in a statement, has said the police received information from a member of the public regarding the discovery of the couple unconscious at 6.55am.

He said a team of personnel from the Sri Aman district police headquarters together with medical officers from Sri Aman Hospital were deployed to the scene upon receiving the report.

“The results of the examination confirmed that both victims had died. The case is currently being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code,” he said in a statement today.

He said the motive and cause of the incident were still under investigation, and the police were actively collecting evidence and witness statements to assist in the investigation of the case.

He said the victims,  a 45-year-old man and his 44-year-old wife, had died at the location.

Mohamad Zainal urged the public who has any information regarding the incident to contact the Investigating Officer Assistant Superintendent Kalang at 019-331 7785 or contact the Sri Aman IPD District Control Centre and the nearest police station.

“The public’s cooperation is very important to assist in the investigation and ensure that community safety continues to be maintained.

Malaysia's GDP projected to grow by 4.3%, ringgit continues to strengthen this year

KUCHING, Jan 16 2026: Malaysia’s economy is projected to maintain its strong momentum, with gross domestic products (GDP) growth forecast at 4.3% in 2026, continuing the growth of 4.6% achieved in last year, president and group chief executive officer of Affin Bank Berhad Wan Razly Abdullah has said last night.

Caption: Affin Bak Bhd president and group CEO Wan Razly Abdullah 

 He said Affin group also expects the ringgit to strengthen against the US dollar, with its target of RM4.05 for 2026.

“However, ringgit today has already strengthened to RM4.04. It looks like we have to revise our target on the ringgit exchange rate against the US dollar.

“We remain very bullish on the ringgit, supported by strong foreign inflows and investor confidence,” he said at the Affin Chinese New Year dinner here.

Wan Razly noted that over the past year, the Malaysian ringgit has been Southeast

Asia’s best-performing currency, a clear reflection of Malaysia’s strong fundamentals.

“With this momentum, 2026 is poised to be another record year for the ringgit and the economy.

“This is driven by the strong foreign direct investment  (FDI) sentiment and government addressing the budget deficit with the expected reduction of the  fuel subsidies and pension liabilities.

“Following the strong ringgit and inflow of FDI, we anticipate a strong elevation for the Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (KLCI) as a result of this tailwinds to catapult KLCI to reach 1,780 in 2026, a significant increase from 1,680 in 2025.

“This is an increase of 6%,” he said.