🇲🇾 From socks to fire bombs in KK Mart case

Hello friends!

I have done it! I have finished the migration to Beehiiv! I follow loads of newsletters that have made the move recently and it seems to be fairly smooth so fingers crossed for me. I really hope this all goes well, but if you notice anything a bit funny please let me know. 

There are a few little things to be ironed out (I’ve sent increasingly desperate support messages) but, largely, we’re good to go. 

A bumper from Malaysia today with the KK Mart story continuing and a very odd one involving Israeli gangsters (allegedly). Across in Singapore, the bridge collapse in Baltimore is reverberating while political leaders welcome a VIP from China. 

🇲🇾 Socks on, gloves off in KK Mart scandal

Yeesh, we knew the KK Mart story wasn’t going anywhere, but I did not expect it to go here. A recap! Socks found at one of the chain’s stores featuring the word ‘Allah’ went viral last month and sparked a boycott movement and legal cases against both KK Mart owners and distributors who sold the socks. Now, two incidents of Molotov cocktails at two separate stores have turned the entire thing into a scary culture war flashpoint. 

Anwar, where are you? That’s what former health minister turned podcast king Khairy Jamaluddin wants to know in this South China Morning Post op-ed (Anwar has since commented, more below). “Apart from procedural statements referring the matter to police investigation early on, Anwar — at the time of writing — has not stepped up to douse the flames of anger on both sides. Some in the Malay-Muslim community, riled by the likes of Akmal, see this as unforgivable sacrilege,” he writes. 

Ethnic minorities are equally as concerned, Khairy notes. Boycotts that could eventually target other groups — like Chinese-Malays, a frequent scapegoat — would destroy livelihoods. Recent boycotts of enormous brands seen as pro-Israel, including McDonald’s and Starbucks, have seen sales spiral. What happens to operators whose margins are much thinner? 

Potential revenue losses are the least of the problems for KK Mart workers after two outlets came under attack last week. On Tuesday, a firebomb was thrown at a KK Mart in Perak state, but thankfully failed to inflame. A second attack did ignite Saturday morning in Pahang but with minimal damage.

Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, the Sultan of Pahang, has condemned the escalations, calling the fire bombs both against the law and against Islam. His comments came after the second firebombing attack on KK Mart was reported, this time in his home state at Sungai Isap. Products were damaged in the early morning Saturday attack, but workers moved quickly to extinguish the bomb.  “His Royal Highness calls on the public, especially the people of Pahang, to not be easily influenced by the racial narrative that could undermine the national harmony,” a statement from the palace said, as per FMT. 

Perak ruler Sultan Nazrin Shah made a similar statement. “His Highness believes the majority of Malaysians are rational, moderate and prioritise harmony and peace. His Highness gives his assurance to protect Malaysians of all races and religions so they can continue to live in harmony and develop the country together,” he said, as per a statement from the palace reported by Malaysiakini. 

These escalations have forced Anwar to take a stand. “We will take action against those who commit such acts, especially those involving violence. This is a peaceful country. Do not use racial or religious issues to disrupt order in the country. I have also instructed the police to not compromise at all in this matter,” he said on the weekend at a fast-breaking event, as reported by the Malay Mail. 

His Home Minister, Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, has come out more scathing. “Calling for and encouraging people to boycott a brand may not be an offence under the law, but it is clearly wrong when people act to trespass or attempt to torch a KK Mart outlet. This act can cause a loss of property and lives. Police will still take action under the law in the name of public interest,” he said Saturday.

Malaysiakini reports an interesting little point. The whole mess justifies the Anwar government’s fears about unrest relating to the 3R — race, religion and royalty. “The socks issue showed how easily the people’s emotions and sentiments can be played by irresponsible parties,” he said. 

Look, we don’t love the violence, but KK Mart still needs to pay is the message from Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh, who is one of the leaders of the movement. He backed an investigation into the incidents but doesn’t want that to scare off boycotters: “The investigation should be done first before blaming any parties for this incident. We keep calm and continue the boycott,” he said in a statement, as reported by Malaysiakini. 

What’s this? PAS the voice of reason? The deeply conservative Islamic party isn’t interested in boycotts and drama this Ramadan. “We only want action to be taken against those responsible. And if action is taken, I am confident the issue will die down,” Ahmad Yahya, chief of the Ulama wing of the party, told Sinar Harian on Sunday and reported by FMT yesterday. 

Possibly the weirdest KLIA story since 2017

Here’s a very weird one. Malaysian authorities revealed last week that they had arrested a 36-year-old Israeli man on weapons charges. He was arrested at KLIA on March 12 after arriving from the UAE on a false French passport, Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain told media on Saturday as reported by Reuters. This was initially reported as a suspected intelligence agent but that certainty has disappeared, though police say they won’t rule it out just yet. The statement to the media followed the arrest of three Malaysians who are suspected of supplying firearms to the fella. Everybody is on high alert, Reuters reports, with security precautions stepped up for Anwar and the rest. 

The story from the Israeli press angle sheds some light. Malaysian authorities haven’t yet named him, but Times of Israel reports Hebrew-language outlets have pointed to Shalom Avitan, allegedly part of the Musli brother’s crime family. He’s alleged to have been ‘en route to assassinate Eran Haya, head of a rival crime family,’ TOI reports. What the heck. 

🇸🇬 Singapore’s authorities look for lessons in bridge tragedy

The Francis Scott Key Bridge collision happened miles away from Singapore, but the Maritime and Port Authority is on the case. The Dali, the Singapore-flagged vessel that hit the bridge, is owned by Grace Ocean and operated by another Singaporean company, Synergy Marine, Nikkei Asia reported last week. Singapore’s Transport Safety Investigation Bureau, under the Transport Ministry, will also launch a probe to find ‘lessons’ in the disaster. 

China’s FM-in-waiting visits town

Liu Jianchao, a senior diplomat widely expected to become China’s next foreign minister (according to Voice of America), swung by for four days. “The world needs connectivity, not decoupling,” he said after meeting both Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and incoming PM Lawrence Wong. ‘Liu leads the Communist Party department responsible for relations with foreign political parties,’ the VOA reports. It’s an easy one for him, says NTU political scientist Joseph Liow. “Liu has had a number of ambassadorial postings in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines and Indonesia. He is quite comfortable with the region,” Liow said. 

Spy vs Spy

Singapore needs to brace for more weird spy stuff, security experts warn in this interesting one from Channel News Asia. The warning comes after a weird story last month when it was revealed a German military call was leaked in Russian media — intercepted via an ‘unauthorised connection’ in a Singaporean hotel in February. It took place during the Singapore Airshow held which was a “field day” for Russian intelligence, as German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius put it. 

It’s an everywhere problem, not just in Singapore, and really the city-state has great protocols in place and facilities already established but there’s some history involved and vigilance is required. “In terms of the geopolitical location of Singapore, to me it's no surprise. Since the Cold War, long before the digital age, we were already a base of operations by both the Communist powers and the Western powers,” Alan Chong, senior fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, told CNA. 

Family offices need to open for business ASAP, says MAS

Get your family office application paperwork in quickly, the Monetary Authority warns. The regulator wants to keep the whole application process down to under 30 days or applicants can expect extra scrutiny. “MAS has requested for applicants to respond to queries within a month, so that the processing of applications can be completed more expeditiously. Where applicants require more time to respond, MAS will consider requests to extend this timeline,” the agency told Nikkei Asia.