MCPF suggests mandatory jail sentence on smuggled alcohol traders

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) has called on the government to introduce a mandatory jail sentence on those who sell smuggled or adulterated alcohol.
Its senior vice-chairman, Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, said the existing laws should be amended as alcohol outlets were mushrooming and operating with little monitoring by the authorities.
"I believe that the lack of control of alcohol sales has led to the latest methanol poisoning cases since, as has been reported, many shops are still selling cheap smuggled or adulterated alcohol," he said in a statement today.
At the same time, Lee said Malaysians should discard their lackadaisical attitude and help the authorities address the problems related to excessive alcohol consumption that causes family problems, failing grades among students, road accidents and fights.
He hoped that the relevant authorities, especially the Royal Malaysian Customs Department, the police and local authorities, would do more frequent checks on all premises selling alcoholic beverages, as well as track down shops selling illicit liquor.
With the help from the Health Department and Chemistry Department, he said random samples should be taken and analysed to determine whether the liquor found on the shelves had been adulterated or contained high level of methanol.
As of today, the death toll due to toxic alcohol poisoning was 36, with 24 death recorded in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur (nine) and Perak (three). — Bernama