KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 – Two more teachers will be remanded for four days as police say they are closing in on the masterminds behind the leaked Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) exam papers. In Putrajaya today, magistrate Nur Dahlia Azmi gave orders to remand two suspects, aged 26 and 31. The 26-year-old is a woman from Labis, Johor, while the other is from Nilai, Negri Sembilan. Both were arrested yesterday. Meanwhile, the New Straits Times has reported Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar as saying that police have positive leads and were expecting to make more arrests.

“Police are closing on the masterminds following the recent arrests of 10 suspects. We believe the main culprits will be arrested soon,” he was quoted as saying. Yesterday, three teachers from Negri Sembilan were remanded for four days for investigation under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) in connection with the leak. All three, aged between 24 and 36, were unrepresented. Also held by police is a 34-year-old engineer in Kemaman, Terengganu. On Monday, police obtained a four-day remand order against four men, including a Penang primary school headmaster.

The other suspects are two teachers from Penang and an insurance agent from Kuala Lumpur. Their lawyer, Ester Tan Siew Choo, said the suspects were being investigated under Section 8 (1) of the OSA 1972 for possession of official secrets and communicating such information to others. Kuala Lumpur Criminal Investigation Department chief Senior Assistant Commissioner Gan Kong Meng said 12 people had been questioned so far to facilitate investigations. However, two teachers from Parit Buntar in Perak and Kuala Ketil in Kedah were released on police bail after their statements were recorded.

The Science papers 018, 028 and 038, scheduled last Thursday, were postponed following a leak the day before. On Thursday, the UPSR English papers 014/1 and 014/2 were also found to have been leaked, causing public outrage. Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Education Minister II Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh have issued public apologies over the leaks. On Friday, Muhyiddin also ordered the suspension of Examinations Syndicate director Dr Na’imah Ishak and her deputy (operations) Dr Wan Ilias Wan Salleh. “The top officials have to take responsibility for this leak which has tarnished the image and reputation of the ministry,” he had said. The leaks have forced 473,175 pupils from 8,384 schools nationwide to resit their Science and English papers on September 30.

Credit : The Malaysian Insider

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