Compiled by JOSEPH KAOS Jr, LIEW JIA XIAN and R. ARAVINTHAN

WITH winnings from street racing surging to as high as RM50,000 a race, mat rempit have found it hard to turn down the lucrative but illegal activity, Kosmo! Ahad reported.

In interviews with illegal racers, the daily said the group also stopped the practise of offering women in wagers because mat rempit now view it as a “low class” practise.

A mat rempit known as Halim, 25, said he could earn up to RM6,000 a month by racing on the streets of Kota Baru, Kelantan, every weekend.

“The races are usually held at Jalan Padang Kala and the winnings can go as high as RM50,000. This would then be split between mechanics, jockeys and bike owners,” Halim said.

Rafi Jamal, 25, said he had spent tens of thousands of ringgit on modifications to his motorcycle to compete in races.

“Indeed, there were some races that offered women as wagers but that was low class. It was popular in the 1990s, but now mat rempit want money,” he said.

> Smugglers have been found sneaking subsidised cooking oil out of Malaysia in exchange for cigarettes from the Philippines, Sinar Ahad reported.

Sabah and Labuan Maritime director First Admiral Datuk Mohd Rosli Abdullah told the daily that the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) discovered the smuggling syndicate using small boats that operate from night to dawn.

“The subsidised cooking oil would be exchanged in a ‘barter trade’ with cigarettes from the Philippines. The cooking oil from Malaysia would be sold at a higher price in the Philippines.

“The smugglers would buy the oil in small quantities and would store it at a secret location, before giving it to their counterparts in the other country.

“There are also locals acting as informers who monitor the movement of MMEA enforcement boats.

“Up to July, we recorded 11 cases and managed to confiscate subsidised cooking oil weighing 13,321kg which is worth RM38,807.

“We have also arrested 12 people aged 20 to 55 – six locals and six Philippine nationals,” said Mohd Rosli.

The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.