KUALA LUMPUR, April 9 — Twenty-two individuals, including married couples, were charged in the Magistrate’s Court here and in Selangor today with defying the movement control order (MCO).

They were charged with flouting MCO by failing to show reasonable cause for their presence in a disease infected area, which is an offence under Regulation 3 (1) of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within the Infected Local Areas) Regulations 2020.

The law provides an imprisonment for up to six months or maximum fine of RM1,000, or both, upon conviction.

In Kuala Lumpur, eight individuals were charged with the offence in three courts.

In the Selayang Magistrate’s Court, a Myanmar chicken trader, Abdul Shahid Salleh, 36, was fined RM950, in default a month’s jail, for conducting his business without a permit at Jalan Batu 8, Jalan Ipoh, Selayang, at 9 am last April 7.

In the Ampang Magistrate’s Court, six people, including a married couple and two women, were fined RM600 each, in default a month’s jail, for moving from one infected place to another infected place without permission.

They are Ahmad Syazwan Mohamad Hanafiah, 31, and his wife, Nur Farhana Abdul Razak, 26, and two friends — Nurul Amirah Johan, 28, and Nurul Zaitulakmar Mustapa, 33, while the other two are Mohd Norshafiq Affandy Md Norazman, 27, and Hamzah Hazmi Anhar, 23.

They were charged with committing the offence at the exit of the Middle Ring Road 2 (MRR2) heading to Ukay Perdana here and at the exit to Taman Cheras Indah from Kuala Lumpur to Ampang, last April 5.

In the Kuala Lumpur Magistrate’s Court, K.S. Prasanth Raj ,19, pleaded not guilty to a charge with flouting MCO.

He was alleged to be moving from Block B, Jalan PJS 1/52 Taman Petaling Utama, Petaling Jaya to a river near Apartment Residensi Puchongmas at Jalan Puchong Mesra 2, at 10 am last April 3.

A total of 14 individuals, including senior citizens, were fined RM1,000 each, in default two months’ jail, by the Kuala Selangor Magistrate’s Court, for defying MCO.

They are Muhammad Zulfaqihi Zulkifli, 24; Mohammad Ekbal Saulamithu, 39; N. Inbaraj, 25; A. Vigneswaran, 27; J. Pravinraj, 20; Lim Yong, 65; Tong Wah San, 54; Lim Kok Leong, 63; S. Vijayan, 30; T. Thilax, 40; D. Kanapathy, 40; A. Jeyadas, 44; S. Sethupathi, 30; and K. Shanmugam, 36.

They were caught at several locations in Sabak Bernam, Sekinchan and Kuala Selangor between March 29 and April 7.

Muhammad Zulfaqihi, Sethupathi and Shanmugam were also fined RM5,000 each, in default five months’ jail, for obstructing the public servants from discharging their official functions.

Sethupathi and Shanmugam were also fined RM2,00, in default for months’ jail, for failing to produce their personal identification documents when requested by the authorities.

Yesterday, Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order director Datuk Seri Acryl Sani Abullah Sani said the police would begin issuing RM1,000 compound notices to those who defy MCO from today, with the payment to be settled at any Health Ministry office within two weeks.

Those who disobey the MCO will be brought to the police station before being handed a compound notice, and if they refuse to pay the compound amount, they may request for trial, he said.

Prior to this, MCO defiers were detained and then charged in court.

Last April 5, Chief Justice Tan Sri Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat urged judicial officers to consider the issue of the risk of spreading Covid-19 facing prisons in the country when imposing sentences for violations of the MCO.

This followed a letter from the Malaysian Prison Department’s director-general on April 2 suggesting that those who violated the MCO be sentenced to community services without sending them to jail.

According to Zulkifli, the Prison Department believed that it would be a major problem if Covid-19 was to spread in prison because, apart from the impossibility of implementing social distancing, prisons could also become the place for the proliferation of the contagious disease and could endanger the lives of prisoners and staff. — Bernama