Last month, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that under the 13th Malaysia Plan, the government would build dedicated education centres for autistic children in every state. He also said that the government will also expand the capacity for special needs facilities that are already operational nationwide. We discuss these initiatives with Alexa Goh, President of the Malaysia Association of Behaviour Analysis.

Other stories we covered:

• Updates on Zara Qairina's inquest: Investigations have revealed more details about the bullying of Zara Qairina, and a key witness statement has been leaked online. We speak to criminal lawyer, Rajsurian Pillai about this.

• Family of mother on death row pleads for clemency: Ani Anggraeni was convicted of drug trafficking in 2013 after her bag was discovered at the Penang International Airport containing nearly 4kg of methamphetamine. We hear directly from Ani’s granddaughter Yuli, and daughter-in-law, Kokom about the situation, as well as Dobby Chew, CEO of Hayat about why Ani should be pardoned.

• Funding issues for deaf Kelantanese athletes: The Kelantanese contingent for deaf sports has been unable to raise enough funds to join the upcoming Malaysian Deaf Games, also known as SOPMA. We reached out to Mohamad Nazrul Azwa Zulkipply, Assistant Secretary-General of the Malaysian Deaf Sports Association for his take on funding issues for deaf sports.

• Freedom on the decline around the world: 60 countries saw a decline in political rights and civil liberties, while only 34 improved in the latest Freedom in the World report. We discuss Malaysia's place in the rankings, and whether democracy is growing in Asia.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Produced by: Sneha Harikannan, Alia Zefri, Tee Shiao Eek, Sudais Ferhard, Dashran Yohan

Presented by: Sharaad Kuttan, Dashran Yohan

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Categories:  controversies,  government,  Law/Activism

Tags:  Malaysian deaf sports association,  death penalty,  zara qairina,  drug trafficking,  disability,  autism,  global freedom house press freedom ranking,