Top 5 At 5: Bangladeshi Syndicate Runs Multi-Billion Dollar Worker Scam

The stories we covered today:

5. The world's oldest living person, Maria Branyas Morera, has passed away at the age of 117. A US-born Catalonian, Maria lived through both world wars and a century of significant historical events. Consultant geriatrician Professor Dr. Tan Maw Pin shares her insights on what sets supercentenarians like Maria apart from the average person.

4. Chong Yee Shan, an activist from Parti Sosialis Malaysia, has sued the Perak Land and Mines Office for an eye injury she sustained during a farmers' protest in October 2023. We hear directly from Yee Shan about her decision to take the case to court and her current condition.

3. Finance Minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan recently addressed concerns about the government's plan to transition new civil service hires from the traditional pension scheme to the EPF system. We revisit a Beyond The Ballot Box interview with Lee Hwok-Aun, Coordinator of the Malaysia Studies Programme at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, where he outlines the other benefits that pensioners receive.

2. Heavy rain has caused flash floods in Klang and Shah Alam. We revisit past shows on staying safe during heavy rain and floods. First, we hear from Datuk Dr. Alzamani Mohammad Idrose, a consultant emergency physician, about the dangers of walking in floodwaters. Then, we hear from Dr Peter Gan Kim Soon, EXCO Member of Mercy Malaysia, on the best way for people to find out whether their area is at risk of flooding.

1. Our top story: Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission is investigating a syndicate involving several high-ranking officials from the former Awami League Government. The syndicate is alleged to have embezzled around 8.9 billion ringgit by sending approximately 450,000 workers to Malaysia over 18 months, with most returning home jobless and empty-handed. We explore this with Adrian Pereira, Executive Director, North-South Initiative.

Image credit: Bhanu Prasad Pappuleti, Pexels