KUALA LUMPUR, July 15 — The overall financial position of Malaysian Industrial Development Finance Bhd (MIDF) is strong based on pre-tax profit of RM45.54 million, RM37.25 million and RM94.71 million it recorded from 2015 to 2017.

According to the Auditor-General’s Report, 2018 Series 1 on the Management of the Federal Government Company, MIDF’s total assets exceed the total liabilities for the same period.

The liquidity level of the company it said, was also good at 18.8: 1 in 2017 which indicated MIDF’s ability to accommodate its current liabilities.

As of December 31, 2017, the MIDF’s accumulated profits stood to RM617.96 million, while cash balance and cash equivalents were also positive at RM464.55 million at the end of 2017, it said adding that an audit was conducted between May and September 2018.

On the other hand, the audit noted that the overall performance of loan schemes had not yet reached the optimum level as the funds’ utilisation only reached 74.2 per cent in 2017.

“The performance of funds under the schemes, the Simple Loan Scheme for the Services Sector (SLSSS), the Simple Loan Scheme for Bumiputera Automotive Entrepreneurs (SLBAE) and the Simple Loan Scheme for Services Export (SLSSE) for three years is less efficient, as it only reached between zero to 40.6 per cent with SLSSE scheme did not record any use of funds during that period,” the report said.

Meanwhile, the report mentioned on the efficient performance of loan repayment for SLSSS, SLSAM and SLBAE schemes for 2015 to 2017 as payment receipts have reached between 84.4 per cent and 99.7 per cent.

The report also noted on the need to improve repayment for Simple Loan Scheme for Capacity Development (SLSCD) and Simple Loan Scheme for Small and Medium Enterprises (SLSME) as its collection only reached 64.6 per cent and 70.5 per cent, respectively.

Overall, it said the MIDF has achieved its lending objectives and grant distribution in line with its establishment. — Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR, July 15 — Police detain five individuals including a Vietnamese woman and two Iranian men and seized numerous types of drugs worth over RM1.4 million here on Thursday and Friday.

The drugs seized were heroin (19gm), syabu (25,692gm), ketamin (1,011gm), some cash and two pistols including a Walther CP88 and two magazines with 36 bullets.

Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Seri Mazlan Lazim said that all the suspects, aged 24 to 46 years, were detained by members from the Kuala Lumpur Police Contingent Headquarter’s (KLPCH) Narcotic CID.

He said that police detained a Vietnamese woman and a local man and seized 19 gm of heroin in Dang Wangi Road here in the first arrests on Thursday at 1am.

‘‘Interrogations took police to a condominium and they seized a powder believed to be syabu (2,196gm) and ketamin (six gm),’’ he told a media conference at KLPCH, today.

Meanwhile in the second arrest, Mazlan said that police detained a local man in front of a condominium at the Sungai Besi Highway at 4.50am.

 “Police seized syabu (23,496gm), cash and a pistol together with a magazine and 28 bullets. The suspect was believed to have distributed drugs since seven months ago,’’ he said.

In the third raid, Mazlan said that two Iranian men were detained at a condominium in Solaris Road here at about 7.40pm on Friday.

‘‘Police inspected a Mercedez-Benz belonging to the suspects and found ketamin weighing 1005 gm. Police also seized a Walther CP88 pistol and a magazine with eight bullets at the suspects’ condominium,’’ he said.

Preliminary investigation found that one of the suspects had been in the country since 25 years ago and was believed to working as a property agent and actively distributed drugs since six months ago.

All the suspects were remanded from six to 14 days from the dates of arrests for further investigations and the cases were investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. — Bernama

PETALING JAYA: Lim Kit Siang mencabar Najib Razak menamakan individu dalam dakwaan bekas perdana menteri itu yang DAP mencadangkan PPBM ditubuhkan untuk memecahbelahkan orang Melayu.

Veteran DAP itu yang mengetawakan dakwaan itu semalam berkata, rakyat berhak tahu orang yang mampu meyakinkan Perdana Menteri, Dr Mahathir Mohamad dengan rancangan jahat itu.

“Siapa orang ini, kalau adalah?” soalnya dalam kenyataan hari ini.

Ahli Parlimen Iskandar Puteri itu menjangkakan Najib tidak mampu menamakan individu terbabit, “walaupun jika orang itu wujud, ia sekurang-kurangnya akan menyelamatkan kredibilitinya dengan menyatakan dia tidak berbohong”.

Lim mengulas kenyataan Najib ketika merasmikan Persidangan Perwakilan Umno Bahagian Pendang kelmarin.

Semalam, Utusan Malaysia melaporkan penasihat Barisan Nasional itu mendakwa Lim mencadangkan penubuhan sebuah parti Melayu baru kepada Mahathir yang kemudiannya menubuhkan PPBM.

Ahli Parlimen Pekan itu dilaporkan berkata: “Dalam kepala DAP, Kit Siang hendak jatuhkan kerajaan Umno dan Barisan Nasional, pecah belahkan orang Melayu, peralatkan orang Melayu sendiri dan gunakan orang Melayu sebagai alat untuk menjatuhkan orang Melayu sendiri.”

Lim berkata, walaupun sebelum pilihan raya umum pada 9 Mei 2018, beliau sudah didakwa menjadi dalang terhadap semua rancangan Pakatan Harapan.

Katanya, Umno menuduh Mahathir menjadi konconya, manakala MCA dan Gerakan pula mendakwanya menjadi boneka Mahathir.

“Malah sekarang, parti dalam BN tidak boleh memutuskan siapa yang menjadi konco dan boneka.”

BEIJING: China’s military recently carried out air and naval drills along its southeast coast, the defence ministry said on Sunday, following the latest arms sales from the United States to self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as a renegade province.

In a brief statement, and without giving an exact geographical location, the ministry said that the People’s Liberation Army had in “recent days” held the exercises.

“These drills were routine arrangements in accordance with annual plans for the military,” it said, without elaborating.

China’s southeast coast is one of the country’s most sensitive regions as it faces Taiwan across the narrow Taiwan Strait.

China deems democratic Taiwan to be a wayward province, to be taken by force if needed.

On Friday, China said it would impose sanctions on US firms involved in a deal to sell US$2.2 billion worth of tanks, missiles and related equipment to Taiwan, saying it harmed China’s sovereignty and national security.

That announcement came as Taiwan president Tsai Ing Wen was visiting New York on a transit stop to diplomatic allies in the Caribbean, a trip that has also infuriated Beijing, further straining Sino-US ties already affected by a bitter trade war.

In a statement on Sunday, Taiwan’s presidential office cited National Security Council deputy secretary-general Tsai Ming Yen as saying president Tsai had spoken by telephone with US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi while she was in the United States and met with other senators and members of Congress, without naming them.

President Tsai said Taiwan and the United States can both forge even closer ties, and also thanked the United States for “the importance it attaches to the security of the Taiwan Strait” and the recently announced arms sale, the statement said.

President Tsai also promised the United States that in the future in the Indo-Pacific region, Taiwan will continue to play a responsible partnership role, and defend democratic values and peace and stability in the region with like-minded countries, the statement added.

Tsai has repeatedly warned of the threat from its giant neighbour China and has vowed to defend Taiwan’s security, democracy and way of life.

China has in recent years stepped up its military drills around Taiwan, including regularly flying what Beijing calls “island encirclement” exercises and sending warships into the waters around Taiwan.

PORT DICKSON, July 14 — Police are tracking down a Proton Waja car driver in connection with a fatal accident involving a motorcyclist earlier today.

Port Dickson district police chief Supt Aidi Sham Mohamed in a statement said the 2.30am incident occurred along Jalan Lukut-Sepang, where motorcyclist, identified as RM Anandan, 28, from Tampin Linggi plantation, was killed.

“The accident was believed to have occurred when a Proton Waja driver from Sepang heading to Lukut lost control of the vehicle and entered the opposite lane before colliding with the motorcyclist. The victim was confirmed dead by an assistant medical officer.

“The car was found abandoned near the Ambang Kota food court here,” he said.

He said checks on the vehicle found it registered under the name of Ting Ting Ming and bearing a postal address in Sepang, Selangor.

“The efforts to detect the Proton Waja driver is underway and people with any information are required to channel them to the traffic investigating officer Inspector Raja Nor Hafizah Raja Arifin at 013-5388403,” he said.

The case was investigated under Section 41 (1) of the Road Transport Act 1987. — Bernama

KUANTAN, July 14 — The police have detained a man who allegedly trafficking in three Indian nationals for forced labour at an oil palm plantation in Kuala Lipis near here.

Lipis District Police chief Supt Azli Mohd Noor said the 36-year-old suspect from Kuala Lipis was picked up yesterday afternoon at an eatery near the plantation.

He said the suspect was also believed to have been abusing the victims, aged between 33 and 48, by hitting, not feeding and ordering them to work overtime and without leave.

“The three men, who are all married, claimed that they entered the country, between September 2018 and last April, using the service of an agent in India via social visit pass. The suspect had fetched them from the KL International Airport and brought them to the plantation.

“They also claimed that the suspect had seized their passports and mobile phones as soon as they arrived and were placed at the workers’ quarters. They were paid between RM600 and not even paid at all,” he told reporters here today.

Azli said one of the victims also claimed that his arms were chained and he was beaten for over a month which causing injuries to his left arm.

The crime was exposed when one of the victims managed to escape and lodged a police report at Lipis District Police headquarters yesterday.

“The victims have been rescued while the suspect is being remanded for four days from today,” he said. — Bernama