Tiada asas undang-undang tahan budak 9 tahun, kata aktivis

Activist Chow Kit Hartini Zainudin argues that there is no legal basis to detain a nine-year-old Myanmar girl in custody. The foundation founder questioned whether authorities would treat Malaysian children the same way. "After 30 years in this field, I don't believe we would do that. We would contact the parents, secure help from welfare officials, act as a mediator between relatives and use the Children Act as Parliament intended," she said.

She noted that the law protects every child in Malaysia and has no nationality clauses. "The Crown's response to these children should concern anyone working in child protection," she added. On Friday, the Magistrate's Court in Bukit Mertajam rejected a bail application for three Myanmar boys, including a nine-year-old, who were charged with criminal threats against an elderly woman.

However, the High Court overruled that decision and permitted the release of all three children with bail. They were held with a nine-year-old boy since October 27 and detained for four days. "There is no legal basis to detain a nine-year-old child as a suspect," Hartini stated. She said Section 15 of the Children Act was created to prevent such situations from occurring, referring to the provision that limits media reporting and publication of information about children involved in legal proceedings.

The three Myanmar boys were charged together with the alleged kidnapping of an elderly woman using various objects, including a mop, iron rod, white light bulb, and stone.