Year in Review: Jong-Nam murder puts spotlight on Malaysia

JUST six weeks into 2017, the nation attracted unfavourable international attention with the murder of a prominent foreign figure.
Kim Jong-Nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un was assassinated with a nerve gas at the KL International Airport 2 (klia2), Sepang on Feb 13.
The two suspects, Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong and Indonesian Siti Aisyah, are being tried for murder.
Telephone scammers amassed millions of ringgit from thousands of victims by fabricating stories of hacked bank accounts, running foul with the law, and kidnapping loved ones.
In October, two accountants from the Klang Valley and Penang lost RM250,000 and RM500,000 respectively to callers of such syndicates who tricked them into believing they were victims of online hackers.
Ponzi, pyramid schemes better known as "money games", also saw tens of thousand people falling victims.
Among the big companies running the schemes, which police and other enforcement agencies were chasing, was the JJ Poor To Rich (JJPTR) in May, Penang-based MBI International Group and VenusFX.
In June, theSun exposed another company called Maxim Trader that is said to have amassed over RM20 billion from local and foreign investors. Police investigations on the company are ongoing.
Among fire tragedies that gained nationwide attention was on Feb 6 when a couple and their two sons perished in a blaze at their double-storey terrace house in Jalan USJ 2/3, Subang Jaya .
The Selangor Fire and Rescue Department revealed months later that the fire was triggered by a faulty power supply unit of a desktop computer.
Meanwhile on Sept 14, the nation woke up to news of the worst fire tragedy to occur in decades, killing 23 people in the early hours of the morning.
The fire at the Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah religious school in Kuala Lumpur killed 21 students and two teachers, while six more were critically injured. It was later revealed that the 5.15am fire was not accidental but was caused by arson. Seven youths face murder charges, among others, over the incident.
Church pastor Raymond Koh on Feb 13 went missing after he was waylaid by several vehicles and abducted by a group of men in Petaling Jaya. Koh who ran into controversy several years ago for allegedly proselytising Muslims is yet to be found.
In the war against narcotics, among the most significant of police operations was on Aug 1 when six Customs department officers were arrested at KLIA for allegedly colluding with an underworld gang responsible for smuggling illegal drugs into Malaysia.
More than two dozen suspected militants, Malaysians and foreigners, including two KLIA security guards were nabbed in stings throughout the year.
Highly wanted Malaysian Daesh fighter Muhammad Wanndy Mohamed Jedi, 27 who left Malaysia to fight alongside other IS fighters in Syria died in battle in April.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) opened up a can of worms when it intensely pursued Malacca police following a tip-off on crooked police officers at three districts enriching themselves with huge kickbacks by turning a blind eye to gambling and vice activities.
In mid-May, the MACC nabbed district police chiefs, other senior officers, rank-and-file personnel and several civilians linked to the syndicates during an operation codenamed Ops Gobi. The MACC also seized RM800,000, believed to be bribes handed over by the syndicates, hidden in a policeman's house.