I was just a guest: Former deputy minister on attending event in Myanmar

KUALA LUMPUR – Former Deputy Minister of Religion Datuk Mashitah Ibrahim has claimed that her attendance at a controversial event in Myanmar in 2020 was at the invitation of a “friend”, one Datuk Seri Liong Kee Huat.

The former Baling MP posted a video on Facebook today after police confirmed that Mashitah and her husband, former diplomatic officer Datuk Abdul Shakor Abu Bakar, are being investigated following allegations by a non-governmental organisation (NGO) about their alleged involvement in human trafficking in Myanmar.

Mashitah stressed that she and Abdul Shakor attended the event, which she confirmed was a groundbreaking ceremony for the Saixigang Industrial Park, and that they were only there as “guests.”

Abdul Shakor, she said, had been asked by Liong to read a speech prepared for the latter, as he “did not speak English” while the event “was considered international”.

“I don’t know anyone else at the event except (Liong) and we have no connection with the (other) guests who were invited. We didn’t communicate with the other guests because they didn’t speak English, so there was a language barrier.

“In his capacity as a friend, (Liong) took me and my husband to see the project site, so we went,” Mashitah, who served as deputy minister under the administration of Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, said in the video uploaded today.

Commenting on the presence of armed guards at the project, the Wanita Umno official said it was “normal” for guards in Myanmar to carry firearms as the country is controlled by the military.

“It is illogical to link me to mafia and human trafficking (activities) just because I am pictured as an invited guest at an event.”

The 2020 foundation stone laying ceremony of the Saixigang Industrial Park, which Mashitah referenced in her video, was captured in photos she posted on her Facebook, dated February 24 of that year. In one photo, Abdul Shakor is seen giving a speech as armed militias stand in the background.

Photos of another related event – ​​a launch and investor appreciation evening for the park – held at the JW Marriott Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, were also posted on her Facebook on March 17, 2020. In her caption accompanying the photos, Mashitah referred to herself as “Ironlady” for the project.

In other photos shared by Mashitah, she and her husband are pictured alongside convicted Macau mafia boss Wan Kuok-koi, also known as Broken Tooth, and former Malaysian fugitive Nicky Liow, who was charged in April 2022 with 26 counts of money laundering.

Mashitah also slammed a chat group run by Edisi Siasat for “malicious and rude” allegations linking Sultan of Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay to human trafficking.

For the record, the subtitles in Mashitah’s video spell Liong as “Leong,” while Liong’s name is mentioned in a report by human rights group Justice for Myanmar (JFM), which first reported on Mashitah’s alleged ties to Dongmei Park in June.

Yesterday, police inspector Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said police are looking for a man with the title ‘Datuk Seri’ to help with the investigation into human trafficking in Myanmar, allegedly involving a politician and her husband.

The investigation, Razarudin said, is being conducted under Section 12 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (Atipsom) Act, 2007.

Last week, Mashitah filed a police report following allegations linking her to organised criminal activities in Myanmar, including human trafficking.

She denied the “baseless” allegations and said she would not hesitate to take legal action against those who sought to discredit her and tarnish her reputation.

On the same day that Mashitah filed a police report, Razarudin confirmed that a former deputy minister and her husband are under investigation for alleged involvement in human trafficking in Myanmar.

The Saixigang Industrial Park that Mashitah mentioned is now known as Dongmei Zone. It is a heavily guarded location in Myawaddy, Myanmar, that is home to a lot of criminal activity, drug trafficking and brothels, believed to be linked to prominent Malaysian figures as investors.

These claims about the Dongmei zone are based on findings by JFM, which tracks the involvement of the Karen National Army militant group in organised crime.

However, the allegations of links to human trafficking were made against Mashitah and her husband by a local NGO, the Malaysian International Humanitarian Organisation (MHO), which cited an Indonesian YouTube video.

Malaysia’s connection to Dongmei Zone is said to be through Grand Commerce Network Sdn Bhd, a 10-year-old company jointly owned by Mashitah and her husband. Both are the sole directors and shareholders, holding 85% and 15% respectively, according to Companies Commission documents seen by Scoop.

Abdul Shakor is also one of two Malaysian directors of Dongmei Investment Group Company Limited, which is registered in Hong Kong, according to JFM research. – September 2, 2024

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