KUALA LUMPUR – Convenience store chain KK Mart has once again been made the target of a petrol bomb attack, this time in Kuching, Sarawak, just a day after a similar incident in Kuantan, Pahang.
In a statement today, Kuching district police chief Ahsmon Bajah said that police had received a report on the attack yesterday from a local 25-year-old male employee at the KK Mart branch on Jalan Satok.
The incident, which is the third attack on a KK Mart outlet, resulted in a box containing drinks placed by the sidewalk outside the store going up in flames after it was hit by a molotov cocktail, Ahsmon said.
“Police are tracking down the suspect, and the case is being investigated under Section 435 of the Penal Code, which provides an imprisonment term of up to seven years and a potential fine,” he added.
“The public is reminded to not act outside of legal restrictions in this matter and allow legal processes to take place.”
On March 30, it was reported that a KK Mart branch in Sg Isap, Kuantan, was attacked using a molotov cocktail in the wee hours of the morning, resulting in a small fire at the store’s entrance.
During the incident, a female cashier was having a suhoor meal (a pre-dawn meal before fasting) at the payment counter, while a male staff was arranging items on a backshelf.
Pahang Sultan Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah subsequently expressed sadness and disappointment over the attack, condemning the illegal acts that contradict religious teachings on peace and tolerance.
A few days earlier, on March 26, a KK Mart store in Bidor, Perak, was hit by a molotov cocktail, with a staff at the scene discovering an explosive resembling a firecracker.
KK Mart has been embroiled in controversy after inciting outrage in the Muslim community over its sale of “Allah”-printed socks, resulting in certain quarters calling for a boycott of the company.
KK Supermart & Superstore Sdn Bhd founder Datuk Seri Chai Kee Kan subsequently apologised profusely over the incident, while the company’s supplier, Xin Jian Chang Sdn Bhd, also expressed its regret for the oversight in its quality control process.
Chai and his wife, Datin Seri Loh Siew Mui, have since been charged in the Shah Alam sessions court for intentionally hurting the religious sentiments of Muslims.
Three Xin Jian Chang directors were also charged with abetting Chai and Loh in the distribution of the socks.
The two companies are also engaged in a separate civil lawsuit brought by KK Mart, which claims more than RM30 million in damages and losses caused by Xin Jian Chang’s alleged sabotage. – April 1, 2024