PETALING JAYA: The Education Ministry has asked the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to block the spread of videos related to the recent gang rape case involving students at a secondary school in Melaka.
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said the action was taken to ensure that videos of the alleged crime did not continue to be disseminated.
“We have asked the relevant ministry to take action, to ensure that this issue does not continue to spread because it involves our students.
“So, we ask for the community’s understanding that these are minors who must be protected,” she said when attending the handover ceremony for the construction project of the Bandar Baru Sungai Lalang National Secondary School (SMK) in Ambangan Heights, Sungai Petani yesterday.
Fadhlina explained that the ministry would not compromise and would continue with ongoing internal investigations into all aspects of the incident.
“We are conducting an investigation, and this is already within the jurisdiction of the authorities ... This is a very serious case.
“God willing, tomorrow we will go down to Melaka to ensure this issue can be addressed immediately,” she said.
Fadhlina added that the students alleged to have been involved in perpetrating the offence have been arrested, and that the victim was currently receiving psychosocial support and treatment at a hospital.
“Meanwhile, from the aspect of school safety, the ministry has instructed the Melaka Education Department to take immediate action to ensure all support among students and safety is considered, including ensuring that all children and teachers are given immediate guidance regarding this case because it has already gone viral,” she said.
However, she added that classes at the school would continue as usual and focus would be given to safety aspects involving students and teachers, especially ahead of the upcoming examinations.
“We know that this school will also face exams and will still be operating as usual.
“So, schools must focus fully on safety issues and provide full psychosocial guidance to all students and teachers regarding this case,” she said.
In the alleged incident, a female Form Three student at the secondary school in Alor Gajah, Melaka, is believed to have been raped by two senior students.
The assault was allegedly witnessed by two other students, who also recorded the act using their mobile phones.
The incident reportedly took place in a classroom at the school at 2.30pm on Oct 2.
It is believed that the incident first came to light after a video recording of the act was circulated among the students at the school before being reported to the teachers on Oct 10.
News of the incident subsequently was reported to the victim’s mother that same day.
The victim’s mother then lodged a police report, and all four suspects were detained for questioning.
The case is currently being investigated under Section 375B of the Penal Code, which carries a sentence of between 10 to 30 years imprisonment.
Melaka police chief Datuk Dzulkhairi Mukhtar confirmed that the police had received the report and said the case is still under investigation.
“All suspects have been remanded for six days until Oct 16 to assist with the investigation,” he said.
