KUALA LUMPUR: In the latest episode of Beyond the Headlines, we discuss gun control and airport security in the wake of the recent KLIA shooting.
A man carrying a semiautomatic pistol had opened fire in KLIA's Terminal 1 arrival hall last weekend, seriously injuring a bodyguard.
The suspected gunman, 38-year-old Hafizul Hawari, managed to flee the scene, driving northwards before finally being arrested at the Malaysian-Thai border in Kelantan on Tuesday, almost three days later.
It was found that Hafizul is not a licensed gun owner and had obtained it illegally from a neighbouring country.
While police are still investigating how the weapon entered the country undetected, The NST reported that Sungai Golok in Kelantan, where the Malaysian-Thai border lies, has seen a surge in firearm smuggling, brought in from Thailand into the country.
It's said that the hot and dry weather, which has dried up parts of Sungai Golok, has made it easier for smugglers to cross the border unnoticed.
It has since prompted questions about the safety of the country's entry points and
A gun smuggling problem particularly on the Malaysian-Thai border.
Helping to unpack this, the show welcomes National Defence University defence and security expert Professor Dr Mohd Mizan Mohammad Aslam.
And in the second half of the show, Beyond the Headlines takes a look at how the ringgit is faring with it said to be hinging on how the Chinese yuan performs.
A fall in the yuan could possibly push the ringgit to surpass 4.8 against the US dollar, making it the worst since the 1998 Asian financial crisis.
Stephen Innes, SPI Asset Management's managing director, makes an appearance to expand more on the fate of the ringgit.
He told the Business Times recently that should the yuan depreciate even further– this could mean bringing the ringgit lower beyond 4.8 against the US dollar.
This forecast means that the local note may continue to weaken until the Federal Reserve signals a rate cut, a move that will only happen in the event of inflation easing or a significant deterioration in US economic data, possibly in the fourth quarter.
Follow the full discussion in this latest episode and watch it on NST Online's YouTube channel.
*This episode was recorded on Apr 18.
