CABINET TO DISCUSS COMMOTION INVOLVING PALESTINIANS AT WTKL THIS WEDNESDAY - FAHMI

SEPANG, Jan 6 (Bernama) -- The recent commotion involving Palestinians at Wisma Transit Kuala Lumpur (WTKL) will be discussed at the Cabinet meeting this Wednesday.

Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said the Cabinet is also expected to be briefed by Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin on the latest updates of the incident.

“In several Cabinet meetings before, the issue of relocation (of the Palestinians) to a new premises was raised.

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“Until now, the Cabinet has not been informed of the updates, but I am sure there will be some for the media after Wednesday's meeting,” he told reporters after the launch of the Visit Malaysia Year 2026 (VM2026) campaign by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today.

Yesterday, the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) confirmed that the commotion involving Palestinians at WTKL, which occurred on Saturday afternoon and went viral on social media stemmed from their wish to expedite their return to Palestine.

A similar incident occurred in October last year, involving Palestinians expressing dissatisfaction over being housed at the transit centre and the restrictions on their movement.

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Malaysia brought in 127 Palestinians, including 41 injured individuals affected by Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, to its shores for medical treatment, on Aug 16 last year.

The injured were treated at Tuanku Mizan Armed Forces Hospital, while their relatives were accommodated at WTKL.

When asked about the ministry's actions following the viral videos related to the commotion, including the incident at Masjid At-Taqwa in Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI), Fahmi said that the public is often served with online content whose authenticity is uncertain.

“Hence, I call on everyone to make an effort to seek and understand the true context of any viral content so that we can determine whether the event took place, whether it happened recently or in the past, and what exactly occurred, as well as any actions, if any, taken by the authorities regarding the matter.

“...it is also important that we exercise patience to obtain or conduct fact-checking,” he said.

Fahmi said that media practitioners also have a role to play in helping verify any viral content, particularly the timeframe or the date the incident is alleged to have occurred and the identity of those spreading it.

“From there, we can make a more accurate verification. This process is important,” he said.

Meanwhile, Fahmi said the Communications Ministry will also work closely with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture (MOTAC) to promote tourism products and highlight the main messages from the ministry and the government in conjunction with the VM2026.

-- BERNAMA