FOUR INDONESIANS FACING DEATH PENALTY IN MALAYSIA

Kuala Lumpur, Nov 10 (ANTARA) - Four Indonesians and a Malaysian were on Monday brought to trial at the Georgetown district court in Pulau Pinang, Malaysia, charged with trafficking in 38 million Malaysian ringgit (Rp104.5 billion) worth of methamphetamine.

If found guilty, all five would face the death penalty by hanging under Malaysia's anti-drug laws, Malaysian media reported on Tuesday.

The four Indonesians, identified as Dwi Supriyatno Mei (43), Fredy Hermawan (40), Andy Pakasi (38) and Indra Mulyadi (40), were caught last October 27, 2009, in a luxury house on Jalan Batu Feringgi 243 for allegedly distributing 340 kilograms of illegal methamphetamine.

The Malaysian, named Toh Ooi Hwa, was caught on the same day in front of Menderin Facework Beauty Center Cafe, Gelugor, on suspicion of having trafficked in 1 kilogram of methamphetamine.

Monday's court session was adjourned until December 10, 2009.

Last October 2009, an Indonesian immigrant worker was sentenced to six years`in jail and 10 strokes with a rattan stick by the Malaysian High Court for drug possession.

Judge Su Geok Yiam also ordered Sulaiman Usman, 31, from North Aceh, to serve the sentence as of the day of his arrest on July 15, 2007.

Sulaiman pleaded guilty to possessing 210 grams of cannabis which were found hidden in his underpants when he was arrested at Jalan Besar KL-Rawang, near the Selayang Pandang exit in Batu Caves at about 6 pm.

He was initially charged with drug trafficking under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 which carries the mandatory death penalty upon conviction.

However, the prosecution amended the charge to that of drug possession under Section 6 of the same act.