PORTAL RASMI
JABATAN PERDANA MENTERI
AGENSI PENGURUSAN BENCANA NEGARA
JABATAN PERDANA MENTERI
AGENSI PENGURUSAN BENCANA NEGARA
FAKE news has been crowding out the real thing ever since social media became a news distributor. This is all the more so when disaster strikes.
The most blatant example of this was on display when the OceanGate Expeditions' Titan submersible, with five tourists and crew members, lost contact during a dive to view the wreckage of the Titanic. A rescue mission was launched by the United States Coast Guard (USCG), but found no survivors. It was later revealed by the USCG that all onboard the Titan died in a mysterious implosion.
On June 25, 2023, one fake content creator seized the opportunity to make money by broadcasting an audio recording of screams on TikTok, claiming the cries of distress were from the victims calling for help. Except that they weren't. As Reuters later fact-checked, the screams were actually extracted from a video game called Five Nights at Freddy's. Within days, the TikTok audio attracted about five million viewers. Weeks later, it hit 20 million views. The content creator walked away with millions, courtesy of social media owners and advertisers, caring little for the tragedy that the family of the victims was going through.
When a massive earthquake hit Turkiye and Syria in 2023, killing more than 51,000 people, greedy content creators were busy uploading videos of old disasters, such as those in Japan and Greenland. Again, like in the case of the Titan tragedy, fake content creators were claiming the videos to be real-time footage, Reuters reported.
More recently, when tragedy struck nearer home in Myanmar on March 28, fake content creators were hard at work again. For weeks, they were uploading bogus videos after the 7.7 quake hit Mandalay. Most of them were not shot in Myanmar but in Syria and Malaysia, reports say.
Is there ever a way to stop these fraudsters? Yes, there is. But first, the nature of the profiteering game. It is a game of three players: the fraudulent content creators, the advertisers who incentivise them, and social platform companies that provide the sites for the content creators.
Start with the fraudsters. So long as the fraudsters are able to monetise their content, they will never stop. If media reports are right, content creators and social platforms last year shared US$26.28 billion in advertising revenues between them. What it means is this: curbing fake content is more the job of the advertisers and social media platforms.
Several studies by universities in the United States say that many advertisers are placing their ads unwittingly on fake content sites, thereby monetising them. They need to be more responsible. If they care for their brands, they will.
Of the three, the social platform companies, which together control cyberspace, have the greatest influence in curbing fake content. All are saying that they are doing their best to remove fake content, but the reality is many fake news and bogus videos get through.
Social platforms must do more in making it difficult for fraudsters to place their bogus content on their sites. Search engines can help, too. If they can block billions of "bad ads", they sure can block bogus content.
KUALA LUMPUR, April 20 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim spoke to leaders from both Myanmar’s ruling junta and the deposed civilian government during his two-day working visit to Thailand, leading to concessions between warring factions in the war-torn nation.
Analysts described it as a rare outreach effort, as the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) continues to ostracise Yangon following Myanmar’s military coup in 2021, which deposed an elected civilian government and sparked a civil war.
What was the meeting about?
Putrajaya supported the call to bar the ruling generals from Asean meetings after Yangon was accused of shunning the bloc’s peace plan. However, a powerful earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28 provided junta chief Min Aung Hlaing with a rare diplomatic window, including a visit to Bangkok for key meetings in early April.
As the current Asean chair, Anwar said he wanted to speak to Myanmar’s leaders on humanitarian grounds.
The magnitude 7.7 earthquake killed more than 3,600 people, while rights groups estimate that the civil war has displaced more than three million people.
What came out of it?
A few concessions were achieved, including an extended ceasefire to allow more humanitarian aid into disaster-hit regions. Anwar told reporters in the Thai capital that the warring factions had agreed to avoid “provocation” as he hailed the meetings as a success.
Myanmar’s junta announced a 20-day ceasefire on April 2, following a similar move by the opposition National Unity Government (NUG) after the earthquake struck.
However, the junta has continued military operations in some areas despite the ceasefire, according to the United Nations and other groups in Myanmar.
Anwar suggested that his meeting was cause for optimism for more dialogue between the NUG and the junta in the future.
Why was Myanmar a top agenda item at the Bangkok visit?
There are multiple reasons, said Khoo Ying Hooi, associate professor at the Department of International and Strategic Studies, Universiti Malaya.
Myanmar has become not just a regional flashpoint but, for Anwar, a test of whether Malaysia can provide meaningful leadership amid one of Asean’s most protracted and morally complex challenges.
“Anwar’s decision to engage both the military junta and the NUG signals a strategic recalibration. It’s a calculated and controversial move to confront the diplomatic paralysis that has rendered the Five-Point Consensus ineffective,” she said.
“Rather than perpetuate a stagnant status quo, Anwar appears determined to reopen dialogue channels and reassert Asean’s diplomatic relevance.”
Why does peace in Myanmar matter to Malaysia?
There is a reputational cost of inaction as Asean chair if Anwar handles the Myanmar question lightly, Khoo said.
“Asean’s credibility has already been severely damaged by its failure to respond meaningfully to the post-coup violence in Myanmar.
“As chair, Malaysia cannot afford to manage the crisis simply; it must demonstrate initiative, particularly in the wake of recent devastating earthquakes that have further worsened conditions on the ground.”
Is this a win for the Anwar administration?
Anwar’s diplomatic gamble could go in one of two directions.
If successful, Malaysia may reclaim its standing as a key regional actor capable of shifting entrenched Asean norms, Khoo said.
But if it falters, Anwar risks facing accusations that it has helped legitimise military rule without any real progress, undermining both Malaysia’s credibility and Asean’s already fragile legitimacy, she added.
Ultimately, failure would reinforce the perception that the bloc is incapable of holding its members accountable.
NEW DELHI, 19 April: Sekurang-kurangnya 11 orang terbunuh manakala 11 lagi cedera selepas sebuah bangunan empat tingkat runtuh di timur laut Delhi pada pagi Sabtu.
Tragedi itu berlaku kira-kira pukul 3 pagi di kawasan Mustafabad, yang terletak di bahagian ibu negara India yang padat dengan penduduk.
Seorang pegawai Pasukan Tindak Balas Bencana Kebangsaan (NDRF), yang anggotanya dikerahkan ke lokasi, menyifatkan kejadian itu sebagai “runtuhan lapis ke lapis”, iaitu keadaan apabila setiap tingkat bangunan runtuh terus ke atas tingkat di bawahnya.
“Kami sangka mungkin sesuatu melanggar rumah kami tetapi apabila menjenguk keluar, keseluruhan bangunan sebelah sudah menjadi timbunan runtuhan,” kata seorang jiran seperti dipetik dalam laporan media tempatan.
— TVS
NEW DELHI: At least 11 people, including three children, were killed in New Delhi Saturday after a residential building collapsed on the outskirts of the Indian capital, local reports and authorities said.
The incident happened in the early hours in the northeastern district of the city that mostly houses migrant workers, with rescue teams digging through the rubble throughout the day.
Eleven people were pronounced dead, NDTV channel reported, though 11 others were rescued and taken to hospital. Five were still undergoing treatment, the network said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was "saddened by the loss of lives."
"Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones," Modi's office posted on X. "May the injured recover soon."
President Droupadi Murmu, who lives in her official palace just 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the site, said that "the deaths of many people including women and children is very sad."
Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party recently won the Delhi state election for the first time in almost three decades.
The cause of the collapse was not immediately known.
Delhi minister Kapil Mishra blamed corruption in the municipal government, run by a rival political party, for such building collapses, saying on X: "Construction of such illegal buildings is going on in full swing."
"Survey of all these illegal buildings is necessary, strict action is required against them," he added.
Local media reports said that the four-storey building "came crashing down like a stack of cards."
Building collapses are frequent in India, and illegal structures – often home to migrant workers – are common in big cities.--AFP
KUALA LUMPUR: Gempa bumi dahsyat berukuran 7.7 magnitud yang melanda Myanmar pada 28 Mac lalu meragut lebih 3,000 nyawa dan mencetuskan kebimbangan serius terhadap kesiapsiagaan rantau Asia Tenggara dalam menghadapi bencana.
Namun, kehadiran pantas Pasukan Mencari dan Menyelamat Khas Malaysia (SMART) dua hari kemudian menyerlahkan keupayaan luar biasa Malaysia dalam misi mencari dan menyelamat (SAR) bertaraf antarabangsa.
Timbalan Ketua Pengarah Operasi Agensi Pengurusan Bencana Negara (NADMA), Datuk Dr Abdul Gapar Abu Bakar berkata, pasukan SMART yang berlepas ke Naypyidaw pada 30 Mac bukan sahaja membawa bantuan kemanusiaan, malah menjadi antara pasukan luar pertama yang melaksanakan operasi SAR berpandukan piawaian tertinggi diselaraskan secara pantas dan sistematik oleh Agensi Pengurusan Bencana (NADMA).
“Gempa bumi berlaku pada jam 2.30 petang dan pada jam 4 petang, kita menerima permohonan rasmi daripada kerajaan Myanmar untuk menghantar misi bantuan kemanusiaan dan bantuan menyelamat,” katanya dalam temu bual khas Podcast Utama, terbitan Buletin TV3.
Permintaan segera itu dibawa kepada Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi selaku Pengerusi NADMA yang memberikan kelulusan serta-merta.
Sebaik kelulusan diperoleh, Pusat Kawalan Bencana Negara (NDCC) di Pulau Meranti segera diaktifkan sebagai pusat penyelaras utama operasi.
Katanya, NADMA menjalin komunikasi serentak dengan Wisma Putra, pejabat Malawakil Malaysia di Myanmar serta agensi pengurusan bencana negara berkenaan.
Abdul Gapar turut mendedahkan bahawa ketika suasana Aidilfitri semakin hampir, ramai pegawai awam yang sedang bercuti dipanggil semula mencerminkan komitmen luar biasa terhadap amanah yang digalas.
“Pada waktu kejadian, kita difahamkan untuk membeli minyak di stesen minyak, orang terpaksa beratur dalam barisan sepanjang beberapa kilometer,” katanya, menggambarkan kesukaran logistik yang perlu ditangani seawal peringkat awal.
Kesukaran tersebut memerlukan penyelarasan lebih rapi daripada penyediaan dokumentasi rasmi sehinggalah urusan bahan api. Bekalan minyak tidak dibenarkan dibawa menaiki pesawat A400 milik Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia (TUDM) atas faktor keselamatan, menjadikan kerjasama erat dengan pejabat Malawakil sangat penting bagi memastikan bekalan tersedia di lapangan.
“Apabila semua pasukan telah dikumpulkan dan tiba pada malam itu, ada beberapa perkara penting yang perlu diselesaikan, termasuk dokumentasi rasmi, surat-menyurat dan sebagainya,” kongsinya.
Setiap hari sepanjang misi, laporan penuh merangkumi jumlah anggota dan lokasi semasa turut dihantar kepadanya tepat jam 8 pagi waktu Malaysia, memperlihatkan ketelitian NADMA dalam pemantauan operasi.
Namun, menurut Abdul Gapar, keunggulan SMART bukan hanya terletak pada kepakaran teknikal, tetapi juga sensitiviti sosial yang tinggi, satu bentuk ‘social intelligence’ yang menjadikan mereka berbeza.
“Alhamdulillah, saya lihat semua anggota kita berjaya menghayati latihan ini dan mempraktikkannya dengan baik. Sebab itulah bila orang tengok kerja menyelamat, mereka fikir mudah tebuk lubang, angkat, selesai. Tapi sebenarnya tidak semudah itu,” ujarnya.
Malaysia menerusi SMART kini merupakan antara dua negara ASEAN yang diiktiraf sebagai ‘Heavy USAR’ oleh International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG), bukti bahawa profesionalisme SMART berada dalam kelas tersendiri.