Latest news with #ChristinaLiew
The Star
16 hours ago
- The Star
Tip off authorities on jumbo killings, Sabah villagers urged
KOTA KINABALU: Datuk Seri Christina Liew has issued an emotional plea to villagers to come forward with any information related to the recent spate of Borneo pygmy elephant killings in Tawau. Describing such killings as 'murder', the state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister said the perpetrators must be brought to justice as such cruelty must not go unpunished. 'I have spoken to the Wildlife Department director. Despite our efforts, we have not been able to identify the person responsible for this cruel act, although there are some suspicions,' she told reporters at the Asean Travel Exchange 2025 launch here yesterday. 'We offered RM10,000 for any information but so far, no one has come forward. I have clearly told the department that these acts cannot go unpunished. 'Killing an elephant is murder. We absolutely cannot allow this to happen,' Liew said. At least three cases of beheaded elephants were reported between January and April. Investigations so far have yielded no solid evidence, and a post-mortem was not possible in the latest case due to the advanced decomposition of the carcass. She believes the local community may hold the key to solving the killings but many are afraid to speak up. 'We are working with village heads and the district police in the area to try and obtain more information. I suspect the kampung people know but they are very hesitant to say anything. Still, I am hopeful,' she said. Liew dismissed a theory that a crime syndicate could be behind the killings. 'I don't believe it is a syndicate. They did not take anything valuable; not the tusks, not the organs. They just cruelly chopped off the elephant's head. Very cruel.' On whether the government would consider increasing the RM10,000 reward, she replied: 'Let's negotiate on that.' 'There have been no new incidents recently, and I truly hope it stays that way. I get very upset when these things happen. I am an animal lover and I cannot bear to see this kind of cruelty,' she said. The Borneo pygmy elephant, which is native to Sabah, is a fully protected species under state law, with an estimated population of just 1,500. Anyone convicted of harming or killing the animal faces a fine of up to RM250,000 and a five-year jail sentence.
Borneo Post
a day ago
- Borneo Post
No leads yet in Kalabakan elephant beheadings - Liew
Christina Liew KOTA KINABALU (June 19): There have been no takers of the RM10,000 reward offered for information leading to the capture of those responsible for beheading several elephants in Kalabakan, said Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew. 'So far, no one has come forward. We have our suspicions, but without solid evidence, we can't charge them in court. We want to charge them, actually. So anything we can do — just to investigate, maybe? We are reaching out to the local community, the kampung people around the area where the elephant was killed,' said Liew. She added that they are contacting villagers in the area, including the village head and the district police. 'Hopefully, we can work together. We've asked them to call our rescue line at any time so that we can follow the tracks and catch them. But I suspect the kampung people know something — they're just hesitant to come forward,' she alleged. Liew also said she does not believe the perpetrators are part of a syndicate. 'I don't believe it is. What do they gain? What do they get from killing these elephants? It's not for the organs or anything. There's nothing they got. They just chopped the head off. Very cruel.' When asked if the government would consider increasing the reward, she replied: 'We can negotiate.' On whether there have been any recent cases of headless elephants, she said, 'No, no. We hope this will stop. I get seriously angry every time I see something like this happen. It's no good, no good. I'm an animal lover myself — I do not like to see these things.' She said she has spoken to Wildlife Department director Soffian Abu Bakar, who informed her that despite the department's best efforts, they have not been able to identify the culprits. 'Hopefully, these kinds of incidents will not happen again. I've already instructed the Wildlife Department director that we cannot allow this to go unpunished. We must make sure this never happens again. This is murder — you are murdering the elephant. We do not allow that,' she stressed. On April 9, Soffian reported that six elephants had been found decapitated in Sabah since July 2024, suspected to be driven by market demand. 'Just in 2024 alone, 32 elephants have been recorded dead due to various causes such as illness, poisoning, suspected murder and shooting, and four of them were beheaded,' he said. 'As of today, two more elephants have been killed the same way — beheaded. That brings the total to six. All these incidents occurred along Kalabakan Road. The most likely reason for these killings, we assume, is ivory,' he added.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
Killing elephants is ‘murder', says Sabah minister in plea for info over recent decapitation cases
The Borneo pygmy elephant, native to Sabah, is a fully protected species under state law, with an estimated population of just 1,500. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM FENDYALWI91/TIKTOK Killing elephants is 'murder', says Sabah minister in plea for info over recent decapitation cases KOTA KINABALU - Sabah's Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Christina Liew has issued an emotional plea to villagers to come forward with any information related to the recent spate of Borneo pygmy elephant killings in Tawau. Describing the brutal act as 'murder', Datuk Seri Liew said the perpetrators must be brought to justice, stressing that such cruelty must not go unpunished. 'I have spoken to the director of the Wildlife Department. Despite our efforts, we have not been able to identify the persons responsible for this cruel act, although there are some suspicions,' she told reporters at the Asean Travel Exchange 2025 launch on June 19. She noted that no one has yet come forward, and there have been no takers for the RM10,000 (S$3,025) reward offered for information on the killings. 'We offered a RM10,000 reward for any information, but so far, no one has come forward. I have clearly instructed the department that this kind of act cannot go unpunished. Killing an elephant is murder. We absolutely cannot allow this to happen again,' Ms Liew stressed. However, she believes the local community may hold the key to solving the case but suspects many are afraid to speak up. 'We are working with village heads and the district police in the area to try and obtain more information. I suspect the kampung (village) people know more, but they are very hesitant to say anything. Still, I am hopeful,' she said. When asked whether an organised syndicate could be behind the killings, Ms Liew dismissed the theory. 'I don't believe it is a syndicate. They did not take anything valuable, not the tusks, not the organs. They just cruelly chopped off the elephant's head. Very cruel,' she said. Asked whether the government would consider increasing the RM10,000 reward to encourage potential witnesses to come forward, she replied: 'Let's negotiate on that.' 'There have been no new incidents like this recently, and I truly hope it stays that way. I get very upset when these things happen… I am an animal lover myself, and I cannot bear to see this kind of cruelty.' At least three cases of beheaded elephants were reported between January and April 2025. Investigations so far have yielded no solid evidence, and a post-mortem was not possible in the latest case due to the advanced decomposition of the carcass. The Borneo pygmy elephant, native to Sabah, is a fully protected species under state law, with an estimated population of just 1,500. Anyone convicted of harming or killing the animal faces a fine of up to RM250,000 and a five-year jail sentence. Ms Liew urged the public not to turn a blind eye to the situation and come forward if they had any information on the matter. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Daily Express
a day ago
- Business
- Daily Express
Sabah confident of hitting tourism target this year
Published on: Thursday, June 19, 2025 Published on: Thu, Jun 19, 2025 By: Sisca Humphrey Text Size: KOTA KINABALU: The State Government is confident that they can reach their target of 3.5 million tourist arrivals for Sabah this year. Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Christina Liew ( pic ) said over one million arrivals and RM1 billion in revenue were recorded from January to April, marking an 18 per cent increase compared to the same period last year. Advertisement She made the remarks after officiating the Asean Travel Exchange (Atex) 2025 on behalf of the Chief Minister, noting this is the first time all 10 Asean countries are represented in such an event held in Sabah. An estimated 500 delegates are attending the tourism exchange, signalling growing regional interest in Sabah as a strategic travel hub. The Minister said Sabah's central location within Asean positions it well for stronger travel market ties and regional cooperation. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
The Star
a day ago
- The Star
Killing elephants is 'murder', says Sabah minister over spate of deaths in Tawau
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Christina Liew has issued an emotional plea to villagers to come forward with any information related to the recent spate of Borneo pygmy elephant killings in Tawau. Describing the brutal act as "murder," Liew said the perpetrators must be brought to justice, stressing that such cruelty must not go unpunished. 'I have spoken to the director of the Wildlife Department. Despite our efforts, we have not been able to identify the persons responsible for this cruel act, although there are some suspicions,' she told reporters at the Asean Travel Exchange (ATEX) 2025 launch here on Thursday (June 19). She noted that no one has yet come forward, and there have been no takers for the RM10,000 reward offered for information on the killings. 'We offered a RM10,000 reward for any information, but so far, no one has come forward. I have clearly instructed the department that this kind of act cannot go unpunished. Killing an elephant is murder. We absolutely cannot allow this to happen again,' Liew stressed. However, she believes the local community may hold the key to solving the case but suspects many are afraid to speak up. 'We are working with village heads and the district police in the area to try and obtain more information. I suspect the kampung (village) people know more, but they are very hesitant to say anything. Still, I am hopeful,' she said. When asked whether an organised syndicate could be behind the killings, Liew dismissed the theory. 'I don't believe it is a syndicate. They did not take anything valuable, not the tusks, not the organs. They just cruelly chopped off the elephant's head. Very cruel,' she said. Asked whether the government would consider increasing the RM10,000 reward to encourage potential witnesses to come forward, she replied: 'Let's negotiate on that.' 'There have been no new incidents like this recently, and I truly hope it stays that way. I get very upset when these things happen … I am an animal lover myself, and I cannot bear to see this kind of cruelty.' At least three cases of beheaded elephants were reported between January and April this year. Investigations so far have yielded no solid evidence, and a post-mortem was not possible in the latest case due to the advanced decomposition of the carcass. The Borneo pygmy elephant, native to Sabah, is a fully protected species under state law, with an estimated population of just 1,500. Anyone convicted of harming or killing the animal faces a fine of up to RM250,000 and a five-year jail sentence. Liew urged the public not to turn a blind eye to the situation and come forward if they had any information on the matter.
