First Singaporean penalized under Malaysia's new anti-littering law

The man, identified as Mohamed Nuh Qurasaini Kayat, 25, pleaded guilty at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court on Feb. 9 to discarding a cigarette butt on the ground near a 7-Eleven outlet along Jalan Bukit Bintang instead of using a designated disposal point, according to The Straits Times.

The offense was committed shortly after the legislation came into effect on Jan. 1.

The law requires offenders to carry out community service, including activities such as sweeping streets and cleaning drains and public toilets.

Mohamed appealed for leniency, telling the court there were no rubbish bins nearby at the time, Channel News Asia reported.

He was also quoted as saying that he decided to throw the cigarette butt on the pavement after seeing others already littered on the ground.

The court ordered him to pay the fine or face one month’s imprisonment in default. His community service is to be completed within one month of sentencing.

In a statement issued on Monday, Malaysia’s Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation said five other cases involving Singaporeans in Johor are currently being processed through legal channels.

Under the law, offenders may be fined up to RM2,000, while courts can impose community service orders of up to six months, capped at 12 hours of work.

The measures are part of broader efforts to safeguard Malaysia’s tourism image, particularly among foreign visitors.

Malaysia recently launched its Visit Malaysia 2026 tourism campaign, with a series of events aimed at attracting 47 million visitors this year.

The country received over 42 million foreign tourists last year, becoming the most visited destination in Southeast Asia.