https://www.scmp.com/rss/522198/feed The latest news and top stories on Noraidah Lamat. Known as the mother of the late Zara Qairina Mahathir, Noraidah has become a prominent figure in the pursuit of justice following her daughter’s suspicious death. She lodged fresh police reports after recalling significant bruising on Zara’s body, which she observed during the ritual washing for burial. Noraidah is actively advocating for a thorough investigation, including the exhumation of her daughter’s remains and a comprehensive post-mortem... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Joseph Sipalan,Hadi Azmi Joseph Sipalan,Hadi Azmi The guilt hangs heavily over Jerry* whenever his mind drifts back to his school days in Kota Kinabalu and that quiet “awkward kid” he once tormented. Sitting at the back of the classroom, the boy was an easy target for Jerry and his friends, who delighted in humiliating him by stealing his shoes, tugging down his trousers or meting out the occasional beating. They were only 12, behaving as children do, he once thought. But more than two decades later, Jerry feels the weight of what those moments... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3324538/malaysia-forced-confront-its-fatal-school-bullying-problem-after-zaras-death?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3324538/malaysia-forced-confront-its-fatal-school-bullying-problem-after-zaras-death?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Sep 2025 00:00:13 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan Five teenagers were charged on Wednesday with bullying Malaysian schoolgirl Zara Qairina Mahathir, whose death has seen an outpouring of grief across the nation and triggered a movement against a pernicious bullying culture in the education system. Zara, 13, died in hospital on July 17, a day after she was found unconscious on the ground outside her dormitory at an Islamic boarding school in Papar, a district in the Malaysian Borneo state of Sabah. The suspects were charged with “making... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3322485/5-malaysian-teenagers-accused-bullying-zara-plead-not-guilty?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3322485/5-malaysian-teenagers-accused-bullying-zara-plead-not-guilty?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Aug 2025 07:09:38 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan The death of Zara Qairina Mahathir appears to have triggered something in Malaysians, as thousands took to the streets in rare protests in her home state of Sabah, demanding justice for the 13-year-old girl. Zara Qairina died in hospital on July 17, a day after she was found unconscious in front of a dormitory at her boarding school in Papar district. The initial response to her death was rather muted. Police said that she had likely fallen to her death from the three-storey building and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3321892/stop-blame-game-malaysia-over-zaras-death-let-justice-take-its-course?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3321892/stop-blame-game-malaysia-over-zaras-death-let-justice-take-its-course?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Aug 2025 02:30:08 +0000 Hadi Azmi Hadi Azmi Malaysians call for prosecutors to press charges over the case of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir, after police said they found evidence of bullying in the reopened investigation into her death. Zara died on July 17 after she fell from the third floor of her Islamic school dormitory in the Papar district in the east Malaysian state of Sabah. Her death sparked an uproar, with rumours of foul play and cover ups fanning existing anger at a perceived culture of impunity and a justice system bent... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3321815/malaysians-call-zaras-bullies-be-charged-after-new-evidence-uncovered?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3321815/malaysians-call-zaras-bullies-be-charged-after-new-evidence-uncovered?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Aug 2025 05:27:05 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan Public outrage has erupted in Malaysia over what many see as a culture of impunity after the death of Zara Qairina Mahathir prompted mass protests and raised uncomfortable questions about unresolved allegations of abuse. The 13-year-old schoolgirl died in hospital on July 17, a day after she was discovered unconscious outside the dormitory of her Islamic boarding school in Papar, Sabah state. Police initially suggested she had fallen from the third floor – an assumption her family has refused to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3321429/malaysia-zaras-death-stirs-outrage-impunity-culture?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3321429/malaysia-zaras-death-stirs-outrage-impunity-culture?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Aug 2025 07:04:09 +0000 Hadi Azmi Hadi Azmi Malaysia’s attorney general late on Friday ordered police to exhume the remains of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir as hundreds gathered across three cities in Sabah demanding justice. Zara died on July 17 after she was found outside a dormitory at her Islamic school in Sabah’s Papar district. Police initially said she was believed to have fallen from the third floor of the building. But her family have raised doubts over the cause of death, alleging police failed to thoroughly collect... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3321277/malaysia-orders-zaras-body-be-exhumed-questions-mount-over-students-death?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3321277/malaysia-orders-zaras-body-be-exhumed-questions-mount-over-students-death?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Aug 2025 14:43:41 +0000