Mindef Hopes UPNM Will Ensure Zulfarhan Incident Does Not Recur

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) hopes that the National Defence University (UPNM) will ensure an incident such as the death of navy cadet Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain does not recur in future.

Its minister, Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said although the university does not fall under the ministry’s jurisdiction, however, UPNM is responsible for producing military and civilian graduates for the needs of the country’s defence.

"UPNM as a military university is where we send cadets to ensure the needs of the Malaysian Armed Forces,” he said.

“The UPNM campus is located in our area and the vice-chancellor comes from us. Therefore in this matter, we will give attention and also convey to the university management so that they make sure this does not happen in the future."

Khaled said this to reporters after officiating the Gombak UMNO Division representative meeting here today.

Last Tuesday, the Court of Appeal imposed the death sentence on six former UPNM students guilty of murdering Zulfarhan seven years ago.

The decision was made by a three-member panel of judges chaired by Judge Datuk Hadhariah Syed Ismail, who sat together with Mohamed Zaini Mazlan and Datuk Azmi Ariffin, after allowing the prosecution's cross-appeal to reinstate Section 302 of the Penal Code faced by all the accused previously.

UPNM was established by the Malaysian government on June 21, 2006 under the supervision of the Ministry of Higher Education.

Mohamed Khaled believes that UPNM has taken appropriate action following this case.

"It (incident) happened in 2017, and I believe after that there haven’t been any other such incidents, which means that the university may have taken appropriate actions," he also said.

He called on parents to ensure that their children do not engage in habits such as bullying, to ensure that a healthy learning environment can be created.

-- BERNAMA