Dawn fire kills 9yo boy, injures five other family members in Simanggang

SIMANGGANG, March 7 2026: A nine-year old boy was killed while five other members of the family suffered various degrees of burns in a dawn fire the completely razed their double-storey house at Taman Sentosa Indah RPR Phase 1, here.

 Caption: The dawn fire at its peak - Photo by Bomba 

The charred remains of grandson Ahmed Arfan Shan were found after the fire has been extinguished by the firemen.

Simanggang Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) station identified the rest of the family as 65-year old father Abang Mohd Sanwani (burns all over the body), 40-year old daughter Dayang Siti Mahfuzah (burns on the legs), 41-year old Dayang Khairulnisa (burns all over the body), 13-year old grandson Anis Natrah (burns on the legs) and 15-year old grandson Ahmed Alif Firdaus (burns on the legs).

The station said it received a call about  3am, informing that a fire had broken out at Taman Sentosa Indah Phase 1.

It said the fire involved a two-storey semi-permanent house which was completely destroyed.

“Two occupants of the house were successfully removed by members of the public before the arrival of the rescue team.

“An adult female victim suffered burns to her entire body, while an adult male victim suffered burns to almost her entire body estimated at 80 per cent.

“Both victims were sent by the emergency medical response service (EMRS) Unit to Sri Aman Hospital for further treatment,” the station said.

In addition, it said three other victims who suffered burns to their legs were sent to the hospital by members of the public.

“A boy victim was also found charred on the top floor of the house. His body was then handed over to the police for further action,” the station said.

Three vehicles, namely a Toyota Vios 30 per cent burned, a Perodua Axia 30 per cent burned and a motorcycle 50 per cent burned while Perodua Bezza was not affected.

 

Awang Tengah: Sarawak welcomes quality investment from China that can support the state's development agenda

KUCHING, MARCH 6 2026: Deputy Premier Awang Tengah Ali Hasan has told a Chinese business delegation that Sarawak always welcomes quality investments that can support the state's development agenda under the Post-Covid-19 Development Strategy 2030 (PCDS 2030).

Caption: Deputy Premier Awang Tengah Ali Hasan (party hidden, 2nd from right) in a meeting with the Chinese business delegation  

In return, he said Sarawak is committed to providing a conducive business ecosystem through continuous efforts to modernise infrastructure including transport and logistics networks, telecommunications and utilities to support the state's economic growth.

He added that one of Sarawak's key advantages is its abundant renewable energy resources with a target of generating 10 gigawatts (GW) of energy by 2030, thus positioning Sarawak as the "Battery of ASEAN."

Awang Tengah,  also the Minister of International Trade, Industry and Investment, encouraged the Chinese  delegation to explore investment opportunities in Sarawak by leveraging the state's natural resources, strategic location and access to the rapidly growing Southeast Asian market and global trade networks.

He also highlighted Sarawak's potential to emerge as a regional hub for the entire petrochemical and food industry value chain, especially in meeting the growing demand for the halal market.

He added Sarawak also remains committed to facilitating investors through transparent policies and continuous infrastructure development to support economic growth and regional integration.

The delegation from Shandong Port Group from China expressed its interested in exploring investment opportunities in the state, especially in the port development and management, petrochemical and agricultural sectors.

The delegation,led by Shandong Port Group Chairman Wang Wei, included Yatong Petrochemical Group Vice President Yu Kechao, Tianye Corporation Director and General Manager Shan Dan and several senior management of the companies.

During the meeting, the Chinese companies also shared their expertise in integrated supply chain services, smart and green port development, commodity storage and advanced petrochemical and agro-food processing technologies.

Present at the meeting were Deputy Minister of International Trade, Industry and Investment Malcom Musen Lamoh, Permanent Secretary Lester Matthew, InvestSarawak Chief Executive Officer Timothy Ong, Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (STIDC) General Manager Zainal Abidin Abdullah and officials from Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (Petros).

PKR names Baru Bian, five of its ex-MPs in a lawsuit filed in Kuala Lumpur High Court

KUCHING, March 6 2026: Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) has filed a suit against former Selangau MP Baru Bian and its five other former MPs who left the party in Feb 2020, Free Malaysia Today (FMT) reported.

Caption: Former Selangau MP Baru Bian is one of the six former PKR's MPs being named in the suit filed by the party 

They were among those allegedly responsible for the collapse of the 22-month Pakatan Harapan federal government in 2020 following the Sheraton Move.

Apart from Baru, the others are Kamarudin Jaffar (Bandar Tun Razak), Mansor Othman (Nibong Tebal), Rashid Hasnon (Batu Pahat), Saifuddin Abdullah (Indera Mahkota) and Edmund Santhara Kumar (Segamat)

FMT quoted PKR secretary-general Fuziah Salleh as saying that the party has also filed a similar suit against 10 assemblymen who left in 2020.

In two separate statements of claim, Fuziah said the party is claiming RM10 million each from the defendants for breaching a bond they signed just before the 14th general election in 2018.

The legal firm of Nav & Co filed the suits on Feb 19 at the High Court here, which has fixed March 27 for case management.

Under the terms of the bond, the defendants were required to pay the amount within seven days if they won their seats on PKR’s ticket but later resigned from the party, joined another political party, or became independent elected representatives.

In GE14, the party secured several parliamentary and state legislative seats and subsequently formed the federal and several state governments.

Fuziah said that on or about Feb 24, 2020, it was publicly known that each of the defendants had ceased to be party members after having been elected under PKR’s banner.

She said the defendants had aligned themselves with or supported a political coalition other than PH.

Except for Baru, the rest supported Muhyiddin Yassin in the Sheraton Move to be appointed prime minister. Muhyiddin later headed the Perikatan Nasional federal government.

The party terminated their memberships on March 11, 2020 and demanded compliance with the bond, but received no response.

Fuziah said the party had spent substantial resources protecting its brand, developing human resources to promote its platform, identifying and endorsing candidates, conducting national and state campaigns, and securing electoral success at the federal and state levels.

She said the resignations or realignment of the defendants after the election altered the composition of the governing majority at the federal or state level, and affected the party’s ability to carry out the mandate obtained at the election.

Immigration Dpt arrests 40 illegal immigrations in raids in Samarahan and Sejingkat

KUCHING, March 6 2026 – The Kuching Immigration Enforcement Division has arrested 40 illegal  immigrants (PATI) in operations carried out at midnight last night at several kongsi houses in the Samarahan and Sejingkat areas.

Caption: Foreign nationals arrested kongsi houses at construction sites 

The operation, which involved 30 officers, targeted kongsi houses provided by employers to house foreign workers at construction sites, the state Immigration Department said in a statement.

It said several individuals who tried to escape, but their attempts were successfully thwarted by the quick action of officers.

All 40 arrested PATI were taken to the Semuja Immigration Depot, Serian for detention and further investigation.

The department said the Kuching enforcement division will continue to intensify enforcement operations from time to time to combat the presence of foreigners who violate the provisions of the country's immigration laws.

 

WAK Festival 2026 edition launched, inviting artists, creative communities, cultural practitioners to submit programme proposals

KUCHING, March 6 2026: The WAK (What About Kuching) Festival has officially launched its  Call For Proposals (CFP) for the 2026 edition, inviting artists, creative communities, organisations and cultural practitioners from Sarawak and the region to submit programme proposals to enliven the festival.

Caption: Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah (2nd left) speaking a press conference to launch Call For Proposals for the 2026 WAK Festival edition 

Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, who launched here today, said it has now established itself as an important platform in promoting Sarawak's arts, culture and lifestyle to a wider audience.

"WAK Festival reflects Sarawak's creative, diverse and forward-looking identity, as well as playing a role in strengthening the network of creative communities at the local and regional levels," he said during the launch.

 Festival director Donald Tan said the eighth edition of the festival carries the theme 'Shoots', symbolising growth and the emergence of new ideas within Sarawak's creative ecosystem.

He said the theme reflects the process of talent development, creative collaboration and emerging arts enterprises, providing space for new ideas to emerge and grow in the local creative industry.

He explained that the approach aligns with open-access arts festival concepts such as the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, widely recognised as a platform for creative experimentation and a space for new talents to showcase their work to broader audiences.

"WAK provides an opportunity for the creative community to try out new ideas, form collaborations and develop creative enterprises that can grow beyond this festival," he said.

By elevating Sarawak's identity, the 'Shoots' theme also places emphasis on the development of young talents and new creative enterprises at an early stage, thus helping to strengthen the state's creative industry progressively from the grassroots level.

Throughout June and October 2026, the festival will provide an open platform for the local, regional and international creative community to present their work and showcase their creativity in various public and private spaces in Sibu, Miri and Kuching.

Through an open access approach, the festival encourages active participation from collaborators across various fields of art, culture and lifestyle, with involvement from neighboring states and regional countries expected to further enrich the festival's diversity.

Interested artists, organizations and community groups can submit programme proposals via the festival's official website at www.wakfestival.com.