Four men claim trial over Molotov cocktail attack on Rohingya settlement in Kulai

JOHOR BAHRU, Oct 29 — Four men pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here today to charges of committing mischief by fire at a Rohingya settlement in Kulai two weeks ago.

The accused, Yap Eze Hong, 31; Amirul Eizlan Musrinan, 28; Muhammad Khairul Abd Bahrin, 27; and Chan Jie Ming, 28, entered their pleas after the charges were read to them before Judge Datuk Che Wan Zaini Che Wan Ibrahim.

They were accused of committing mischief by fire by setting ablaze a house belonging to P. Rajagopal at Lorong 5, Kulai Besar, at 1.30am on October 13.

They were charged under Section 436 of the Penal Code, which covers mischief by fire or explosive substance. The offence carries a prison term of up to 20 years and a fine upon conviction.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Siti Aishah Latif requested that bail be denied. However, should the court allow bail at its discretion, she proposed RM25,000 for each accused, subject to three additional conditions.

The accused objected to the proposed bail amount, arguing that it was excessive.

Lawyers G.K. Sritharan and Tan Meng Khong, representing Yap, asked the court to reduce the bail amount, saying their client has two children and is responsible for caring for his ailing grandparents.

Lawyer Siti Rashidah Abd Aziz, representing Muhammad Khairul, also sought a reduction, saying her client cares for his 63-year-old mother, who suffers from multiple health conditions, and his 66-year-old father, who has diabetes and has suffered a stroke.

Lawyer Lim Chon Sin, representing Chan, likewise sought a reduction, saying his client works as a general worker in the construction sector and earns only RM100 a day. He added that Chan is pursuing online studies in artificial intelligence (AI).

Lim said his client also supports both his parents and that being denied bail would prevent him from attending his online classes.

Judge Che Wan Zaini set bail at RM8,000 each for Yap and Chan, with one surety each, and RM10,000 each for Amirul Eizlan and Muhammad Khairul, also with one surety each.

The court also imposed three conditions on all four accused: they must report to the nearest police station once a month, surrender their international passports to the court and refrain from interfering with the victim and witnesses.

The case was fixed for mention on November 30 for the submission of documents. The same date was also set for a mention on the appointment of legal counsel for Muhamad Amirul Ezlan.

On October 13, it was reported that a fire destroyed a house in a Rohingya settlement near Kulai Besar, believed to have been deliberately started using a petrol bomb, or Molotov cocktail.

Following the incident, Johor police chief Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad said 13 male suspects, including a 16-year-old, had been detained to assist in the investigation.

Yesterday, police confirmed that two more people had been arrested, bringing the total number of suspects in custody to 15.

However, only four were charged in court, while the others were released on bond under Section 118 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Public sentiment towards the Rohingya community has deteriorated recently, with many blaming the community.

Hostility and resentment towards Rohingya refugees in Malaysia stem from a combination of economic pressures, social friction and widespread disinformation on social media.

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新山，10月29日讯——今天，四名男子在新山地方法庭对两周前在古来罗兴亚人定居点纵火的指控表示不认罪。

被告人Yap Eze Hong，31岁；阿米尔·艾兹兰·穆斯里南，28 岁；穆罕默德·凯鲁·阿卜杜·巴林，27 岁； 28岁的Chan Jie Ming在法官Datuk Che Wan Zaini Che Wan Ibrahim面前宣读了指控后，提出了抗辩。

他们被指控于 10 月 13 日凌晨 1 点 30 分在古来勿刹 5 巷纵火焚烧 P. Rajagopal 的房屋，犯有纵火罪。

他们被控违反《刑法》第436条，该条款涵盖使用火或爆炸物进行破坏的行为。该罪行最高可判处20年监禁并处罚金。

副检察官西蒂·艾莎·拉蒂夫请求法庭拒绝保释。然而，如果法庭酌情允许保释，她建议每位被告的保释金为25,000令吉，并附加三项条件。

被告对拟定的保释金额提出异议，认为金额过高。

代表叶某的律师 GK Sritharan 和 Tan Meng Khong 请求法庭减少保释金，称他们的当事人有两个孩子，还要照顾生病的祖父母。

代表穆罕默德·凯鲁尔的律师西蒂·拉希达·阿卜杜勒·阿齐兹也请求减刑，称她的委托人要照顾患有多种疾病的 63 岁母亲和患有糖尿病并中风的 66 岁父亲。

代表陈先生的律师林俊新也请求减刑，称其当事人是建筑行业的普通工人，日收入仅100令吉。他还补充说，陈先生目前正在攻读人工智能（AI）方面的在线课程。

林先生表示，他的当事人还要赡养父母，如果被拒绝保释，他将无法参加网课。

法官 Che Wan Zaini 为 Yap 和 Chan 分别设定了 8,000 令吉的保释金，每人需一名担保人；为 Amirul Eizlan 和 Muhammad Khairul 分别设定了 10,000 令吉的保释金，每人也需一名担保人。

法院还对四名被告人施加了三项条件：他们必须每月向最近的警察局报到一次，向法院交出他们的国际护照，并且不得干扰受害者和证人。

该案定于11月30日再次开庭，提交相关文件。同日还将再次开庭，讨论穆罕默德·阿米鲁·埃兹兰的法律顾问任命事宜。

10 月 13 日，有报道称，古来勿刹附近一个罗兴亚人定居点的一栋房屋被大火烧毁，据信是有人故意使用汽油弹或莫洛托夫鸡尾酒纵火所致。

事件发生后，柔佛州警察总长拿督阿卜杜勒·拉赫曼·阿尔萨德表示，13名男性嫌疑人（包括一名16岁少年）已被拘留，以协助调查。

昨天，警方证实又有两人被捕，目前被拘留的嫌疑人总数达到 15 人。

然而，只有四人被控上法庭，其余人根据《刑事诉讼法》第 118 条获得保释。

近期，公众对罗兴亚社区的态度有所恶化，许多人指责该社区。

马来西亚民众对罗兴亚难民的敌意和怨恨源于经济压力、社会摩擦以及社交媒体上广泛传播的虚假信息等多种因素。

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