Police in Miri have not issued summonses to passengers sitting in the front seat of vehicles found to be using their phones, said Sarawak Transport Minister Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin.
In a statement yesterday, the Sarawak transport minister dispelled three viral voice messages including from a Bruneian warning the public that the police were going after passengers in the front and drivers who touched their phones while vehicles were moving, Borneo Post reported.
“After checking with the Miri police head, he has informed my officer that a summons is only issued to the driver who is caught using handphones while driving, not any of the passengers,” Lee said.
The voice messages, including one purporting from a Bruneian, were forwarded to the Miri police for verification after they went viral recently. Lee said the Bruneian was asked to furnish the summons supposedly issued to the passenger in the front for using a phone but was not unable to do so.
He also said the woman making allegations in another voice recording could be in trouble as she had called on the public to share the message to warn others.
“Her voice recording has been sent to the police for an investigation of her allegation and misleading information,” Lee confirmed.
In a statement on April 30, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) had said spreading false information via SMS or social media was an offence.
Offenders could face a maximum fine of MYR50,000 and/or one year in prison upon conviction.
The commission also reminded the public to verify all information received online before forming any views or forwarding the message. – Azlan Othman
