Nothing mystical about...

6-year-old boy in 

Langkawi joyride case...

The police have dismissed claims of any mystical elements in the case of the six-year-old boy who took his brother for a joyride in their parents’ car before crashing into a lamppost on Tuesday (May 9) night.

According to Langkawi police chief Assistant Commissioner Shariman Ashari, investigations have revealed that the boy is in fact well-versed with the functions of the accelerator pedal, gear shift mechanism and the brakes of the vehicle, all of which he demonstrated to the authorities.

“When we checked the dashcam recording, it showed that the driving was a bit erratic, sometimes (the car) swerving into the opposite lane, sometimes to the left and right,” he said in a statement today.

Shariman further confirmed that the police had interviewed the boy on Wednesday at the Langkawi traffic police station when his parents had come forward to have their statements recorded.

“The boy knows how to start the engine and can do so when we asked him to ignite the engine,” he added. “He is even capable of reversing the car, and he has indeed reversed the vehicle (during the incident). He wanted to drive to a shop located about 5km away from his house before he crashed it halfway into the trip.”

It was previously reported that there were possibly mystical elements involved in the incident, as alleged in an audio clip that had gone viral on social media. The audio clip is supposedly of the boy explaining that an “old man with a furry, warm body” had driven the Toyota Vios prior to the crash.

Similarly, a message shared on WhatsApp also stated that based on the story of a villager who was allegedly close to the child’s mother, the driver of the car was a large, black and hairy old man.

The text message also claimed that another man, whom the boy had called “Pak Cik” was said to be sitting next to him, while another man was sitting in the backseat of the vehicle. It also alleged that the boy was in fact sitting on the old man’s lap.

In the late Tuesday evening incident, it was reported that the boy sneaked out from his home in Kampung Padang Mengkuang with his three-year-old brother. Their father was asleep while their mother was in the bathroom when the boys left the house in a Toyota Vios.

The boy had driven the car for about 2.5km before he lost control of the vehicle, crashing into a lamp post in Jalan Bukit Tangga, near Kampung Titi Chanwang. The boy sustained a minor cut on his chin from the crash while his brother escaped unscathed. The car, however, was not as lucky as its front portion, especially the bumper, was thoroughly damaged. Police are now investigating the case for driving in a negligent manner and child abandonment. – focusmalaysia

The new Penang ferry 

‘Teluk Bahang’ in July... 

The days of Pulau Pinang, Pulau Undan and Pulau Talang-Talang crossing the channel from the island to the mainland are over. Instead, Penangites can now look forward to rides on Teluk Bahang and Teluk Kumbar.

Four new ferries for the channel crossing are due to arrive sometime between June and August but photos of one of the ferries – Teluk Bahang – have already gone viral. The ferry was unveiled at a shipyard in Haiphong, Vietnam. It has the name Teluk Bahang, Penang imprinted on the side. 

It has been learnt that a second vessel would be called Teluk Kumbar. The names of the other two have not been released. The viral photos have piqued the curiosity of social media users and many are excited. However, there were those concerned that this would mean the iconic old ferries with the “Pulau” prefix, which carried both pedestrians and vehicles, may never return.

A spokesman for Penang Port Sdn Bhd said the new vessel, the first of four commissioned, would arrive between June and August. “It will undergo tests on the water in Vietnam before (being sent to) Penang where it will be tested again before starting service. 

“The rest of the vessels will arrive in stages,” the spokesman added. The old double-decker ferries were retired in 2021 because of the high maintenance cost. - theStar

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