https://www.scmp.com/rss/522695/feed The latest news and top stories on Saifuddin Nasution Ismail. He currently serves as a Senator and the Minister of Home Affairs since December 2022. Previously, he held the portfolio of Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs. He has a long career within the People’s Justice Party, including multiple terms as Secretary-General. His work at the Home Ministry involves overseeing national security, immigration and law enforcement, with notable efforts in reforming immigration processes,... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The Star The Star Malaysian Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has dismissed allegations that citizenship was arbitrarily granted to Chinese nationals, calling the claims “malicious slander” and fake news intended to incite public sentiment. He said the accusations were irresponsible and should not be weaponised for political purposes, especially at a time when the government is focused on helping the people navigate the global supply crisis. He said he had repeatedly clarified the matter in parliament and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3353516/malaysian-minister-rejects-claims-chinese-nationals-freely-given-citizenship?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3353516/malaysian-minister-rejects-claims-chinese-nationals-freely-given-citizenship?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 May 2026 06:00:02 +0000 Joseph Sipalan,Iman Muttaqin Yusof Joseph Sipalan,Iman Muttaqin Yusof When Malaysia’s government announced a ban on two books in mid-April, the move raised eyebrows, with some questioning the intent of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration and his reformist credentials. The home affairs ministry on April 16 declared that the books – one of which was a memoir of the grandmother to an ally of Anwar – were a danger to national security for containing communist elements and ideologies. The decision triggered immediate pushback, predictably from civil society... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3352174/malaysias-book-bans-iran-war-anwars-reform-agenda-faces-sternest-test?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3352174/malaysias-book-bans-iran-war-anwars-reform-agenda-faces-sternest-test?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 May 2026 00:00:15 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof The driver of a Singapore-registered car has been arrested in Johor for allegedly pumping subsidised Malaysian petrol, triggering a wave of approval online from Malaysians as the government widens a border crackdown driven by rising fuel costs and fears of subsidy abuse amid a global energy shock. The arrest comes after months of viral shaming posts showing Singapore-registered vehicles allegedly filling up with RON95 in neighbouring Johor, fuelling public anger over the abuse of a subsidy meant... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3349926/malaysia-some-laud-singapore-car-drivers-arrest-over-worlds-most-expensive-petrol?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3349926/malaysia-some-laud-singapore-car-drivers-arrest-over-worlds-most-expensive-petrol?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 10:55:44 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof A man has been arrested in Johor after an 11-second viral clip showed him clinging to the front of his ex-wife’s moving car before tumbling onto the road in full view of onlookers. Police said the suspect had clung to the car for around 2km (1.2 miles) and that he had tested positive for ketamine. The incident unfolded at about 3.30pm on Saturday outside a supermarket in Bandar Seri Alam, a township in Johor, the southern Malaysian state bordering Singapore, after an argument between the pair... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3345085/viral-clip-malaysian-man-clinging-ex-wifes-moving-car-leads-arrest-johor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3345085/viral-clip-malaysian-man-clinging-ex-wifes-moving-car-leads-arrest-johor?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 04:19:33 +0000 The Star The Star A stricter control measure is being enforced on Chinese nationals to curb any abuse of the visa-free facility under the Malaysia-China mutual visa exemption agreement, according to Home Affairs Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail. Saifuddin explained that while Chinese nationals are permitted visa-free entry for up to 30 days per visit, they are subject to a cumulative stay limit of 90 days within any 180-day window. “The provisions under this agreement do not grant continuous 90-day visa-free... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3343261/malaysia-enforces-stricter-controls-china-visa-free-entry-curb-abuse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3343261/malaysia-enforces-stricter-controls-china-visa-free-entry-curb-abuse?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Feb 2026 04:24:47 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has given Malaysia’s top enforcement officials a week to prove they are serious about stamping out corruption and smuggling, warning that those who feel they are unable to deliver should step aside. “My patience is wearing thin,” Anwar said, urging the officials to declare within seven days whether they were “not yet ready” to carry the responsibility entrusted to them. “If you don’t think you can do it, step aside so others can.” The warning, delivered in a... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3341648/malaysias-anwar-orders-officials-file-anti-corruption-report-within-week?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3341648/malaysias-anwar-orders-officials-file-anti-corruption-report-within-week?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 06:38:47 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s record on legal reforms has come under scrutiny after a journalist was detained under a colonial-era Sedition Act for asking a “sensitive question” linking the Gaza crisis to the treatment of ethnic Chinese in the Malay-majority country. Rex Tan, 31, a journalist for local news site Free Malaysia Today (FMT), was arrested early on Saturday morning after he asked the question at a public debate five days earlier in Kuala Lumpur. Tan is being investigated... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3340390/malaysian-reporters-sedition-arrest-casts-doubts-anwars-reform-record?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3340390/malaysian-reporters-sedition-arrest-casts-doubts-anwars-reform-record?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 06:04:18 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof In Chow Kit, a crowded district of Kuala Lumpur forever caught between progress and prejudice, Amy* moves quietly through narrow alleys – a transgender outreach worker tending to lives the city prefers not to see. Her evenings begin with small rituals: a backpack filled with condoms, test kits and pamphlets; a quick text to let her friends know that she is safe. Then, when she steps out, much of her work happens in passing conversations – careful not to draw too much attention. “The girls know... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3337105/malaysias-lgbtq-community-lives-fear-raids-drive-them-underground?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3337105/malaysias-lgbtq-community-lives-fear-raids-drive-them-underground?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Dec 2025 04:00:08 +0000 Ushar Daniele Ushar Daniele Malaysia’s home minister has urged senior clerics to lodge formal complaints over claims that a mysterious South Korean Christian “cult movement” has been attempting to spread its teachings among Malaysian Muslims. The controversy surfaced after religious leaders in Perlis – a conservative northern state where Muslims form the overwhelming majority – reported that a South Korean group had been proselytising there under the banner of a peace initiative. Malaysia is a multi-faith nation but Islam... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3336190/malaysian-religious-leaders-urged-provide-evidence-south-korean-cult?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3336190/malaysian-religious-leaders-urged-provide-evidence-south-korean-cult?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2025 06:40:34 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof Malaysia’s embattled football association has been plunged deeper into crisis after the government suspended fresh funding over a document-forgery scandal that has embarrassed the football-mad nation. Football’s governing body, Fifa, has issued fines and player bans and launched criminal complaints after it found the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) had cheated by faking documents of seven foreign-born players. Two of the players scored in a victory over Vietnam in an Asian Cup qualifier... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3333660/malaysia-suspends-funding-football-association-over-documentation-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3333660/malaysia-suspends-funding-football-association-over-documentation-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Nov 2025 07:09:13 +0000 Reuters Reuters The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) said on Friday it had suspended its secretary general and will form an independent committee to investigate a “technical error” that led to Fifa, the sport’s world governing body, suspending seven naturalised players of the national team over the alleged use of doctored documents. During a heated press conference, FAM and its legal team denied it had committed forgery, but declined to address repeated questions from reporters on how the players were... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3329444/malaysia-football-suspends-secretary-general-orders-probe-fifa-eligibility-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3329444/malaysia-football-suspends-secretary-general-orders-probe-fifa-eligibility-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Oct 2025 11:04:49 +0000 Hadi Azmi,Joseph Sipalan Hadi Azmi,Joseph Sipalan Five months after she was snatched from a car in broad daylight in Malaysia, little is known about the disappearance of Pamela Ling, with a “chilling” lack of clarity in the case sparking calls for a wider investigation. Ling, 42, was kidnapped on April 9 by three people believed to have impersonated police, forcing her into their vehicle after stopping her private hire car on the highway not far from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters. The victim was on her way to the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3325128/where-malaysias-pamela-ling-few-clues-5-months-after-kidnap-drama?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3325128/where-malaysias-pamela-ling-few-clues-5-months-after-kidnap-drama?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Sep 2025 04:19:31 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan The 12-year-old son of Malaysia’s firebrand former minister Rafizi Ramli was attacked with a syringe in a shopping centre car park on Wednesday afternoon, in what the ex-cabinet member said was a premeditated assault likely aimed at silencing his strident views. The attack happened at a shopping centre in the administrative capital of Putrajaya, as Rafizi’s wife and son were about to enter their car. “Suddenly a man dragged my son and stabbed him with a syringe,” Rafizi said in a statement,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3321766/malaysian-ex-minister-rafizi-ramlis-son-12-wounded-syringe-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3321766/malaysian-ex-minister-rafizi-ramlis-son-12-wounded-syringe-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Aug 2025 13:42:41 +0000 The Star The Star There is no “credible proof” supporting a report that fugitive financier Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low, is in China or using an Australian passport, according to Malaysia’s Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail. He stated that the report about Low’s location and the passport he allegedly used was not backed by credible evidence or facts. “The home ministry, through the police, is cooperating closely and continuously with our foreign counterparts and international authorities to track... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3319394/malaysia-says-no-credible-proof-jho-low-living-china-fake-passport?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3319394/malaysia-says-no-credible-proof-jho-low-living-china-fake-passport?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Jul 2025 06:46:06 +0000 The Star The Star A video of a three-month-old baby being raped was distributed for sale, Malaysia’s Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said on Wednesday. Saifuddin mentioned he was briefed about the heinous act at 12.30am recently. “If you are briefed at midnight, then it is a major issue. “The baby was raped. Not only that, the act was recorded on video and later sold [online]. It is absolute madness,” he said in his speech during the ministry’s monthly assembly on Wednesday. Saifuddin said plans are under... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3318505/malaysian-minister-condemns-sale-baby-rape-video-absolute-madness?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3318505/malaysian-minister-condemns-sale-baby-rape-video-absolute-madness?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Jul 2025 00:59:33 +0000