KUALA TERENGGANU: A total of five deaths due to road accidents were recorded during the RXZ Members 8.0 event, which took place last Friday and Saturday, compared to two cases during last year's event.
Terengganu police chief Datuk Mohd Khairi Khairudin said the five deaths occurred in Kemaman and Dungun, involving four male victims and one female, all aged 20 to 48 years old.
"There was a significant increase in accident cases during the RXZ Members 8.0 event compared to RXZ Members 7.0. Two fatal accidents occurred on federal roads, while the other three were on the East Coast Expressway 2 (LPT2).
"In addition, 29 accident cases were recorded this year involving participants in the programme throughout the period, compared to 11 cases last year," he said at a press conference at the Terengganu police contingent headquarters (IPK), here Monday (Aug 3).
He said the police also arrested six individuals, namely four local men, a Singaporean man and a local woman for reckless and dangerous driving, all of whom will be charged in the near future under Section 42(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.
Mohd Khairi said that apart from that, the police also issued 1,850 summonses for various offences and seized 222 motorcycles under Section 64 of the Road Transport Act 1987.
He said the action taken once and for all refuted claims that the police were giving special treatment to the organisers of RXZ Members, which brought together about 160,000 participants from all over the country.
"Confiscation was taken against motorcycles that used exhausts and registration numbers that did not comply with specifications. Although we did not implement roadblocks, enforcement activities were still carried out according to our own methods.
"If there was special treatment, of course no summons was issued and no confiscation action was taken. The police strongly deny the claim that it was protecting or giving special treatment for this programme," he said.
Meanwhile, Mohd Khairi said the police also recorded a fraud case involving a non-existent homestay offer in Kampung Wakaf Tengah, Kuala Nerus with a total loss of RM1,200.
"In addition, the police also arrested three individuals under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 and Section 30 (3) of the Poisons Act 1952," he said.
He said preventive measures and law enforcement would continue to be tightened without compromise to ensure that large-scale gatherings such as the RXZ Members programme are not tainted by unhealthy activities. – Bernama
