PRIVACY ACT TO BE INTRODUCED

KUALA LUMPUR, April 8 (Bernama) -- A personal privacy protection act will be
promulgated to provide necessary checks against crimes and the intrusion of
privacy, Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar told the Senate.

"The matter has been discussed in the Cabinet. I believe when the new
Cabinet is formed, it will delve into the act which will provide protection to
individuals against the risks to privacy and the risks of falling victims to
crimes," he said when responding to a question from Senator Roslan Awang
Chik Wednesday.

Syed Hamid said at present there was no specific law which provided the
protection against personal interference.

However, he said, offenders were liable under Section 509 of the Penal Code
which provided criminal penalties for denigrating any person or intruding upon
the privacy of any person.

If convicted, the offender can be jailed up to five years or fine or both,
he added.

-- BERNAMA