4 lelaki didakwa bakar rumah Rohingya di Kulai

Four men have been charged in Johor Bahru Court with arson for allegedly committing a hate crime by burning a home inhabited by Rohingya refugees in Kulai, Johor, at the beginning of the month. The defendants, Yap Eze Hong, 31; Amirul Eizlan Musrinan, 28; Khairul Abd Bahrin, 27, and Chan Jie Mig, 28, all pleaded not guilty to the charges after they were read out in front of Judge Che Wan Zaini Che Wan Ibrahim, according to Sinar Harian.

According to the complaint, they are accused of committing arson by setting fire to a house on Lorong 5, Kulai Besar, Kulai at 1:30 am on October 13. They are charged under Section 436 of the Penal Code, which provides for imprisonment for up to 20 years and a fine. The prosecution is handled by Deputy Public Prosecutor Siti Aisyah Latiff, while Yap is represented by attorney G K Sritharan, Khairul by Siti Rashidah Abd Aziz, and Chan by Chon Sin Lim.

Amirul has no attorney. Siti Aisyah requested the accused be released on bail of RM25,000 each, but their attorneys argued for reduced bail due to their lack of stable income and reliance on daily wages, as well as their financial responsibilities to their families. After hearing arguments from both sides, the court allowed Yap and Chan to be released on bail of RM8,000 each, while Amirul and Khairul were allowed to post bail of RM10,000 each.

The court also ordered all accused to report to the nearby police station monthly, surrender their passports to the court, and prohibited them from harassing the victims and witnesses. The case is set for a hearing for the presentation of documents on November 30.