The courts have ruled that under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010, individuals found in possession of parts of threatened protected wildlife will be fined a minimum of RM150,000 per part of the animal to reflect the severity of the crime. We speak to Wong Siew Lyn co-founder of Macaranga for her thoughts on the impact of this ruling for the future of Malaysia's fight against wildlife trafficking and the role that enforcement agencies, the government, and the general public can play in protecting wildlife.

Other stories we covered today:

· Prices of medication to be displayed: By next year, private healthcare facilities will be required to display prices of medicines as part of the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 as announced by Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad in Parliament earlier this week. We reached out to Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh, President of the Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia and Azrul Mohd Khalib, CEO of the Galen Centre for their thoughts on the implementation of this mandate and how it would affect both private facilities and the patients' experience in said facilities.

· Ipoh primary schools to learn Doughnut Economics: The Ipoh City Council has announced that doughnut economics will be taught to primary school students to create awareness of sustainable economics models and how to take care of the planet. Maisarah Faiesall, Head of Policy, Strategy and Advocacy at Sunway’s Centre for Planetary Health, weighs in on this program and how significant it is to the state's aspiration for Ipoh to be a Doughnut City in 2027.

· Clemency petition for paralysed inmate: Advocates have launched a clemency petition for paralysed inmate, Thanakorn Sinsanoi, a 33-year-old Thai transwomen who after contracting tuberculosis twice, recently became paralysed from the neck down. We reached out to Dobby Chew, CEO of Hayat, to share updates Thanakorn's condition and his insight on inmates who face chronic health issues in prison face difficulty in receiving care.

· Popek Popek Parlimen: Today, Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Shamsul Anuar Nasarah responded to Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii's query on government plans for the Sedition Act to keep it relevant in the digital age. Defence Minister Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin states that the his ministry will take responsibility for the misconduct that took place in the recent case of abuse at Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) and devise plans to stop future incidents with the implementation of preventative measures. Finally, PAS's Pasir Mas MP Ahmad Fadhli Shaari expresses his support for Malaysia's proposal to expel Israel from the United Nation and also his confusion on the comments made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in a recent CNN interview about Israel's right to exist and defend itself.

Image Credit: Ng Chun Kiong

Produced by: Lim Sue Ann, Sudais Ferhard, Alia Zefri, Alena Nadia, Juliet Jacobs

Presented by: Lee Chwi Lynn, Sharaad Kuttan

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Categories:  government,  politics,  international,  environment,  Law/Activism,  controversies,  economy,  education,  health policy

Tags:  private healthcare facilities,  Ipoh City Council,  Doughnut Economics,  chronic health issues,  macaranga,  wildlife conservation act 2010,  prison system,  popek popek parlimen,