What Happened At A DAP Politician’s House This Morning? Cops Suspect Arson By Molotov Cocktail
Three vehicles sustained damages and thankfully, no one was injured in the incident at Ngeh Koo Ham’s house.
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While its name may sound like something you’d order at the bar on a night out, that is not what a Molotov cocktail is.
It is actually a poor man’s “grenade”, easily put together by anyone with Internet access or with evil MacGyver tendencies.
The device is not an explosive per se but is an incendiary device that is thrown at a target and typically shatters upon impact. This then results in the flammable substance in the device’s container to ignite and the rest of that story involves the Fire Department being called in to put out the fire.
So in short it is an improvised weapon.
Cases of Molotov cocktail attacks in Malaysia unfortunately is not uncommon.
A DAP politician’s home was allegedly attacked early this morning.
It was said that a Molotov cocktail was thrown at Ngeh Koo Ham’s house in Ipoh.
Ngeh is DAP’s Beruas parliamentarian.
According to the Malay Mail, the Fire and Rescue Department confirmed the blaze which happened at about 3am.
Klip video kebakaran yang dikongsi kepada media.
— Hariz Mohd (@HarizMohdWrites) January 10, 2024
Kredit video: DAP Perak pic.twitter.com/Uv8dFaKWqa
There were no casualties but three vehicles were damaged; a Mercedes E300, a Honda CRV and a Toyota Hilux.
As for the house itself, firemen managed to contain it before it spread but the porch ceiling and garage roof sustained about 10 per cent damages.
The Fire and Rescue Department initially did not confirm if it was arson as investigation was still underway.
The allegation of it being a Molotov cocktail attack first came by way of a press statement issued by DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke this morning.
“Early this morning, I was informed by Beruas MP Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham that his house was attacked by a ‘Molotov cocktail’ resulting in a fire which destroyed one of his cars,” Loke said.
Loke informed that they had lodged a police report over the matter.
On behalf of the party, Loke recorded their sympathies for Ngeh over what happened.
“DAP strongly condemns violent attacks that threaten the life and safety of his family and stress that any form of violence cannot be tolerated in dealing with differences within our society,” Loke added.
In a more recent update on the case, Perak police confirmed the possibility of arson as investigators found a bottle, suspected to have been the Molotov cocktail, at the scene.
The state’s police chief Datuk Seri Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri said the case is being investigated under Section 435 of the Penal Code for mischief by fire.
According to Utusan Malaysia, Mohd Yusri called upon anyone with information on the case to contact investigating officer Assistant Superintendent Mohd Azalan Ab Karim at 019-3927837 to assist in the investigation.
Kediaman Ahli Parlimen Beruas, Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham dilontar molotov cocktail,polis giat buru suspek, akan siasat secara terperinci – Ketua Polis Perak
— BERNAMA TV 🇲🇾 (@BernamaTV) January 10, 2024
📸 Polis pic.twitter.com/aEBbTA3ytk
Recent controversy
Most recently, Ngeh issued an apology over the perception that he had wanted to interfere in Islamic affairs in the country.
On 28 December, Ngeh had suggested that a member of the Malaysian bar who is a constitutional expert and a non-Muslim to be appointed as members of a committee to study how to harmonise the Syariah law and the Federal Constitution.
The suggestion led to an uproar that Ngeh wanted to interfere in Islamic affairs.
Ngeh apologised and said he had no intention in interfering with Islamic matters, retracting his suggestion.
He said his suggestion was to ensure all views were taken into account before any constitutional amendment proposal was made.
Who is Ngeh?
Ngeh has been Beruas MP in Perak since 2008. He is a lawyer by profession and is no stranger to controversies throughout his stint as a member of Parliament.
He also served as Speaker of the Perak state legislative assembly for about two years.
Ngeh even earned rebuke from fellow party leader, the late Karpal Singh when he accepted a Datukship from Perak in 2008.
DAP has been adamant since the 90s on not receiving honorary titles (awards) while active in political service.
Ngeh said the party’s central election committee had discussed the matter and consented to him accepting the award.
Over the years, Ngeh had earned criticism for remarks he made, with one example in 2014 when he remarked that Muslims should give room to other Muslims who want to change religion.
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