Tanjung Rambutan:A resident of a care centre in Tanjung Rambutan has been charged with the murder of a fellow resident on September 3.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Soo Kim Keong, 51, was charged in the Magistrates' Court without a plea being recorded, as murder cases fall under the jurisdiction of the High Court. The charge, read before Magistrate Norizan Riduan, accuses him of murdering Chong Mun Long, 28, at the Grace Home Care Centre, Jalan Chemor, Tanjung Rambutan, between 3 am and 4 am on the specified day.

Kim Keong faces charges under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which carries severe penalties, including the death penalty, or imprisonment ranging from 30 to 40 years, with a mandatory minimum of 12 strokes of the cane if the death penalty is not applied.

The court has ordered Kim Keong to undergo a psychiatric examination at Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta, Tanjung Rambutan. The next mention of the case and submission of the psychiatric report are scheduled for October 30.

The prosecution was represented by Deputy Public Prosecutor Kirthana Subramanian, while the accused remained unrepresented. The victim, Chong Mun Long, was found unconscious at the care centre on September 3, allegedly following a misunderstanding with another resident. He later passed away on September 17 at Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun from a lung infection and blunt-force trauma to the head.