KUCHING: Police have refuted two viral messages which stated only one passenger is allowed in a vehicle and compounds up to RM5,000 will be issued to those who are out and about after 10 pm.
Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Aidi Ismail when contacted said that both information shared on WhatsApp were incorrect.
“The text message that claimed those who are outside from their home after 10 pm will be compounded up to RM5,000, is not true.
“The voice message, on the other hand, claimed that only one passenger is allowed in a vehicle and the individual will be sent to jail if found violating, is also not true.
“The Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) or Sarawak National Security Council (MKN) did not issue any statement or announce any standard operating procedures (SOPs) relating to the said matters,” he told.
Touching on compounds issued after 10 pm, he explained that only the economic sectors need to close at 10 pm and the police will not issue compounds to them (who are outside) after 10 pm.
However, if the public is carrying out any prohibited activities as listed in the SOP guidelines such as gathering in a park or in public areas, the police will issue compounds to them.
On the alleged value of compound that claimed to be up to RM5,000, Aidi stated that the police will issue the compounds based on the offense committed.
“For an individual, the compound value starts from RM1,500 to RM5,000, according to the type of offence. Whereas for premises, the (compound) value starts from RM5,000 to RM25,000,” he told.
Nevertheless, the public can still make an appeal with the Ministry of Health (MOH) for a reduced payment.
