Top 5 at 5: SOSMA Protest Leads to Arrest of Activist

After submitting a memorandum calling for SOSMA’s abolition, SUARAM Executive Director Sevan Doraisamy was briefly detained by police. This comes as the rights group, alongside families of detainees, continues to push for the Act’s repeal, citing concerns over detainee welfare and due process. Sevan joins us to discuss what happened.

• Gibbon smuggling crisis in Malaysia: A recent case of five infant gibbons smuggled to India—three of which died—has highlighted Malaysia’s worsening wildlife trafficking problem. Mariani Ramli, President of the Gibbon Conservation Society, explains how the trade operates and what’s needed to stop it.

• World Radio Day 2025: With this year's theme, Radio and Climate Change, we explore how radio remains a vital tool for combating misinformation and shaping public discourse. Radio futurologist James Cridland shares insights on how radio can drive climate awareness in an era of digital disruption.

• A breakthrough in carbon capture?: Chemist Omar Yaghi’s lab at the University of California Berkeley has developed a yellow powder that could rival trees in absorbing carbon dioxide, offering a potential climate solution. Zihui Zhou, a graduate student from Yaghi’s team, explains how the technology works and its path to large-scale deployment.

• Popek Popek Parlimen: Today’s session focused on amendments to the Peaceful Assembly Act, as announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, along with the Communications Ministry’s update that 5,000 online gambling websites have been blocked since 2022.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Presenter: Lee Chwi Lynn, Sharaad Kuttan

Producer: Lim Sue Ann, Juliet Jacobs, Sudais Ferhard, Sneha Harikannan

the royal malaysia police (pdrm)