Monday, March 26, 2012

Idyllic state or GANGSTER'S PARADISE?

SARAWAK, a slice of tourist heaven with sun-baked beaches and popular attractions. But beneath this tranquil veneer was a reign of terror which lasted years.

Gangs in Sarawak controlled everything from illegal logging to even setting the price of basic items like eggs. For the longest time, they seemed untouchable and appeared to be protected by powerful people who allegedly had business dealings with the gangs. It wasn't until the arrest of the alleged leader of the infamous Hua Kee gang that people started revealing what they had to put up with. The gang leader was arrested in February after an alleged kidnapping.

Residents claimed even the police in Sarawak were helpless because the gangs were quick to cover their tracks. They were also ruthless. Fights, with samurai swords and parangs, were common between young tribesmen and the mainly Chinese Hua Kee members. But one Malaysian MP decided enough was enough. Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing spoke in Malaysian parliament about the problem of gangsterism in the town. He said secret societies were having a field day and extorting businesses. 'Citizens in Sibu feel very unsafe. They are victims of extortion... Illegal logging is also rampant,' he said.

Two weeks ago, he called for the Sarawak police commissioner to be transferred. He said the police had failed to maintain public order by letting the gangs run riot. That prompted Malaysia's Inspector-General of Police to visit Sarawak on Wednesday to check out the claims for himself. Among the claims - VIPs and prominent businessmen were helping or shielding the gangsters. That's not all. The situation became so bad, Mr Wong Ho Leng, an opposition politician in Sarawak, claimed some local state officials hired gangsters to enforce the law. 'We all know this. The police need only to ask or talk to hawkers to know more,' Bernama quoted him as saying. The capture of Hua Kee's alleged leader has crippled the gang's influence.

FIGHTING AMONG GANGS But now there's fighting for territory among other smaller gangs. There's just too much money to be made. Gangs were mainly involved in illegal logging activities under the cover of legitimate timber companies. 'This activity nets the gangs millions of ringgit every month,' said Mr Wong. A local journalist, who declined to be named for fear of reprisals, said gangs were allocated several legal plots of land in which to do their logging. 'But these gang members go and chop down trees from areas near the Indonesian border and bring them into the legal plots and export them from there. It is hard for the authorities to find out which are 'legal' logs and 'illegal' ones,' he said. How bad was the situation?

Datuk Adnan Ariffin, a former top Malaysian customs officer, told The New Straits Times on Thursday that soldiers had to accompany Sarawak customs officers when they did their operations in the state. He said customs officers in Sibu were constantly intimidated by gangsters. A member of one of Sarawak's trade associations, who declined to be named, said cars and houses in Sibu have been burnt as a result of the gangland activity in the city. But he added that the police were now cracking down on the gangs and the situation was likely to improve.

'Many Sarawak residents are used to the gang activities but the activities may affect people from overseas and the rest of Malaysia. They may affect visits from Singapore as many Singaporean businessmen work in Sibu,' he said. The journalist said the Hua Kee leader's arrest in February was the best thing that had happened in Sibu for a long time. 'The people breathed a sigh of relief when he was finally caught,' he said. Meanwhile, Sibu folk are now more willing to talk about problems caused by gangsters, said Mr Wong in his Sibu office. 'We are always on the ground every week but nobody dares to bring up any complaint to us out of this factor. 'But people should not wait for Tiong to bring it up in the Parliament. This can be too late for some of them,' he said. Police arrest alleged gang leader after dramatic kidnap THE leader of Sarawak's Hua Kee gang started off with petty crime until 1997. Wong Leh Yin, alias Lee Long, allegedly became linked with the death of a rival. Within 10 years, he allegedly became involved in everything from illegal logging to robbery and price fixing for basic items like eggs. To outsiders, the 43-year-old Wong was a respected businessman in Sarawak and he was often seen in the company of prominent businessmen and VIPs. Some of these men later became politicians or political players in the state, said journalists. It has been alleged that Lee Long and his gang members then set up legitimate businesses that served as fronts for their illegal activities. Among these were several timber companies which acted as covers for illegal logging activities in the state, said journalists. There were suggestions that some politicians and VIPs in the state may have been shielding or financing the gang. 'Some Hua Kee members are also hired as personal bodyguards for some of these politicians and VIPs. Lee Long never goes out without being accompanied by bodyguards,' one journalist said. 'When he goes to the bank, four gang members go with him. Two accompany him into the bank while two others wait outside the bank building.' The journalist alleged that several timber companies had complained to Malaysia's domestic trade and consumer affairs ministry about the Hua Kee gang's illegal logging activities, but officials from the ministry were often too late to catch the gang in the act. Journalists said Lee Long's influence even covered the press. He said Lee Long's real name had never been published in newspaper reports before, until the Borneo Post released his real name on Thursday. He added: 'Until that report, his face had also never been published because everyone, including the press, was afraid of what would happen to them afterwards.'

LONG-AWAITED ARREST After nearly a decade of involvement in robbery, illegal logging and many other crimes, Malaysian police finally arrested Lee Long in February. On 6 Feb, he and his gang members allegedly kidnapped a businessman from his home in Sibu. The gang tortured the businessman and demanded a ransom. The victim was released after his family paid RM100,000 ($43,000). Lee Long was arrested four days later and detained without trial under the Malaysian Emergency Ordinance. He is due to appear in court in June.


Extract from : INSIDE SARAWAK.COM.MY

Wednesday, 11 April 2007

Sarawak MP breaks silence on gangster-run townSARAWAK, a slice of tourist heaven with sun-baked beaches and popular attractionsBy Arul John (The Electric New Paper)- http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/printfriendly/0,4139,127050,00.htmlToday's

Borneo Post in Page 2 reported under header " Newspaper under gangsters influence?" that a Singapore online newspaper had a article on Sarawak Gangsterism. After going through its search system using sibu as keyword managed to find the following article. Warning:- What mentioned in the article not verified so it is uncertain whether they are true.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

279 shot dead by cops, 147 custody deaths, since 2000

A total of 279 suspects were shot dead by the police and 147 detainees died in custody from 2000 to 2009, said Home Ministry Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.

He said this in his written reply to M. Manogaran (DAP - Teluk Intan) in Parliament on Monday.

Manogaran had asked for the total number of suspects shot dead or injured by the police and detainees who died in detention centres for the period.

The Star 28/06/20

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Kanak-kanak patut dilindungi

KES kanak-kanak mati akibat didera berlaku lagi. Seorang kanak-kanak perempuan berusia tiga tahun mati awal pagi semalam dipercayai akibat didera oleh bapa tirinya sejak sebulan lalu. Berdasarkan laporan media, doktor yang memeriksa kanak-kanak malang berkenaan menemui sekurang-kurangnya 30 kesan di tubuh dan kepala kanak-kanak tersebut.

Ekoran kematiannya, polis menahan bapa tiri dan ibu kanak-kanak itu. Kes berkenaan kini diklasifikasikan sebagai kes bunuh dan disiasat di bawah Seksyen 302 Kanun Keseksaan.

Kematian sadis kanak-kanak itu berlaku selepas kira-kira seminggu kempen Kami Prihatin dilancarkan. Kami Prihatin bertujuan meningkatkan kesedaran di kalangan masyarakat supaya menyayangi dan menghargai bayi dan kanak-kanak.

Biarpun masyarakat tidak henti-henti mengutuk perbuatan mendera kanak-kanak setiap kali sesuatu kes dilaporkan, kes berkenaan terus berlaku. Ada yang menyifatkan mereka yang mendera kanak-kanak sebagai tidak bertamadun, tidak kurang juga yang menganggap mereka sebagai tidak sihat dari segi mental dan emosi.

Ini kerana golongan berkenaan tergamak menyeksa sehingga mati seorang kanak-kanak yang tidak mampu mempertahankan diri.

Sudah banyak peringatan yang dikeluarkan di media cetak dan elektronik dan para pemimpin masyarakat bahawa anak-anak merupakan amanah yang perlu dijaga dan bukannya objek untuk melepaskan geram atau rasa marah.

Dalam kes kematian tragis Allahyarham Syafiah Humairah Sahari yang mendapat liputan luas media beberapa bulan lalu, teman lelaki ibunya yang dilaporkan memijak dan menyepak Allahyarham sehingga mati di padang bola sudah pun dihadapkan ke mahkamah.

Sementara dalam kes Allahyarham Aaliyah Aiman Hussin Abdullah yang didera sehingga mati, warga Sudan yang bertanggungjawab dihadapkan ke mahkamah. Namun masih ada golongan yang belum mengambil pengajaran daripada kes tersebut.

Seperti mana kes Syafiah Humairah dan Aaliyah Aiman, kanak-kanak yang mati akibat didera kali ini disyaki didera oleh bapa tirinya iaitu individu yang rapat atau sekurang-kurangnya dikenali oleh mangsa.

Pengarah Pendidikan dan Latihan Pertubuhan Pelindung dan Penyelamat Kanak-Kanak (Protect and Save The Children atau PS The Children) Selangor dan Kuala Lumpur, Nooreen Preusser ketika dihubungi berkata, setiap individu dewasa merupakan pelindung dan perlu bertanggungjawab untuk melindungi seseorang kanak-kanak.

''Ini adalah selaras dengan Konvension Mengenai Hak Kanak-kanak 1995 Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu (PBB). Dan apabila berlaku kes kematian atau penderaan ini bermakna mereka yang terlibat gagal melaksanakan tanggungjawab dalam melindungi kanak-kanak berkenaan.

''Saya percaya ada kanak-kanak yang didera tidak kiralah dari segi fizikal, psikologi dan emosi tetapi tidak mendapat perhatian media. Mereka ini juga perlu diselamatkan," jelasnya.

Tambah Noreen, kesedaran bahawa setiap individu dewasa merupakan pelindung kepada kanak-kanak dan hak seorang kanak-kanak untuk menikmati kehidupan yang selamat perlu disebarkan sepanjang masa.

''Ada banyak faktor yang menyebabkan berlaku pelbagai bentuk penderaan ke atas kanak-kanak. Antaranya ialah perasaan seseorang dewasa yang ingin membuktikan bahawa mereka jauh lebih berkuasa dan mampu mengawal seseorang kanak-kanak itu.

''Ada juga segolongan individu dewasa yang melihat kanak-kanak sebagaimana benda atau harta lain yang mereka miliki. Golongan ini biasanya memperlakukan kanak-kanak dengan sesuka hati tanpa menghiraukan bahawa kanak-kanak seperti individu dewasa mempunyai hak, perasaan dan emosi mereka sendiri ," jelasnya.

Ketika pelancaran kempen Kami Prihatin pada 8 April baru-baru ini, masyarakat sudah dimaklumkan mengenai Talian Nur 15999 untuk melaporkan mengenai kes penderaan atau mendapatkan sebarang bantuan jika mengandung luar nikah.

Talian berkenaan perlu digunakan dengan sebaik mungkin demi membela nasib kanak-kanak daripada menjadi mangsa individu yang tidak bertanggungjawab dan tidak berperikemanusiaan.

Semua pihak perlu peka dengan sebarang kejadian yang disyaki kes dera selain sentiasa beringat bahawa setiap dewasa bertanggungjawab melindungi seseorang kanak-kanak.

Dengan cara ini, setiap kanak-kanak di negara ini mampu mendapat hak untuk menikmati kehidupan yang selamat serta bebas dari sebarang bentuk penderaan.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Foreign GROs caught having sex with clients in hotel



GEORGE TOWN: Two foreign women who worked as guest relations officers were arrested after they were caught having sex with two male clients in a hotel in Burma Road here.

The women, a Chinese national and a Vietnamese, were so engrossed in the act that they were not aware that a state anti-vice team had entered the premises at 11.45pm on Monday.

Nineteen other women, in their 20s and 30s and also from China and Vietnam, and 15 men were also arrested. The men were released after their statements and particulars were taken down.

The team led by Chief Insp Salawati Saad also detained four men said to be the hotel caretakers.

One of them, a man in his 50s from Johor, was on the police wanted list.

State CID chief Senior Asst Comm (II) Wan Abdullah Tuanku Said, said condoms and cash believed to be proceeds from the vice activities were seized.

He added that the foreign women were in the state as tourists.

On March 15, police busted a major vice syndicate on the mainland following the arrest of eight people, including four Thai women and their two pimps, in two separate raids on a motel in Jalan Simpang Ampat, Nibong Tebal, and Jalan Bukit Minyak, Bukit Mertajam.

A couple, who were owners of the motel in Nibong Tebal, were arrested.

The syndicate, which had been active for about two months, was able to rake in almost RM70,000 monthly by charging RM150 for each session with the women.

Other than condoms and tubes of lubricants, the police team also seized a samurai sword, several notebooks that recorded the day’s takings and contact numbers of regular customers and syndicate members.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Housewife drugged and raped during job hunt

A HOUSEWIFE looking for a job ended up being confined to a hotel room for 11 days and raped by a recruitment agent, reported Harian Metro.

The victim, who was also forced to take drugs during her ordeal, had left her home in Jalan Ipoh at about 5.30pm on March 1 to meet the agent in Selayang for a possible job offer.

The agent is believed to be a member of a drug trafficking syndicate recruiting drug mules.

It is believed that the agent had trailed the victim back to her home after the meeting and used a knife to force her to follow him to a hotel in Chow Kit.

In the hotel room, she was beaten, raped and drugged by the agent.

The housewife only managed to escape on March 12 after she was spotted by her husband’s friend as the agent was taking her to Segambut.

The friend, who knew that the woman had been missing for the past few days, quickly alerted passers-by to her predicament.

The agent tried to flee but was later apprehended by members public and handed over to the police.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Wife forced into sex with 50 men

The Star Online - Tuesday March 16, 2010


A husband’s erectile problem has led to a painful four years for a housewife who was forced to have sex with over 50 foreigners while he directed and filmed them.

The 61-year-old woman said her husband would recruit the men from nearby rubber estates and supervise her on the various moves and positions while he recorded it on video.

He would also assault her if she refused to consent to the acts.

She kept silent about the abuses as she did not want her aged and ill parents to worry about her.

However, recently she could no longer withstand the “crazy acts” of her 66-year-old retiree husband and ran away from her home in Sarawak on March 6.

She then sought the help of MCA Public Services and Complaints Department chief Datuk Michael Chong yesterday.

The woman, identified only as Chia, said she married the widower, who was from the same village as her, 12 years ago.

“He treated me well and loved me very much until he had erection problem four years ago,’’ she said.

Chia said since then, he began recruiting foreign workers, mostly Indonesians, from nearby rubber estates to have sex with her.

In return, the husband would buy the workers beer or pay their handphone bills.

“He wanted to see me having sex with other men. He would tell me what styles he wanted for that day and record our acts,’’ she told a press conference at the department yesterday.

She said he had even pressed her to have sex with multiple partners but she refused.

“In the beginning, he only wanted me to do it once a month but eventually, he became very aggressive and got me at least five men a month for the past two years,” she added.

She is currently seeking shelter at a friend’s home in the peninsula.

“I am very scared and do not want to go home,’’ she said, adding that she was also worried that he would make the “films” public.

Chong said he would help Chia to seek legal advice on the matter.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Perasaan marah salah satu punca penderaan

PERASAAN marah adalah salah satu punca yang mendorongkan seseorang itu melakukan penderaan kepada kanak-kanak dan hinggakan menyebabkan kematian. Marah yang tidak dapat dibendung menyebabkan tindakan-tindakan ganas yang di luar batas-batas kemanusiaan dilakukan.

Bagaimana seseorang didorongkan melakukan tindakan penderaan adalah subjektif.

Ada yang mendapat inspirasi setelah menonton filem-filem ganas. Menonton filem-filem ganas ini meresap masuk secara senyap ke dalam diri yang menghakiskan sikap luhur dalam diri.

Kecelaruan yang dihadapi oleh seseorang pendera juga mendorongkannya mengambil tindakan yang melulu.

Punca-punca persekitaran yang dialami membantunya membentuk tabiatnya menjadi seorang pendera.

Anda sendiri mungkin menjadi seorang pendera anak anda sendiri setelah pasangan baru yang anda nikahi tidak mahu menerima anak hasil perkongsian perkahwinan anda yang pertama.

Anda menyerahkan anak kepada ibu bapa di kampung untuk menjaganya. Bapa saudara yang melihat berasa kasihan lalu menjadikannya anak angkatnya dan membantu pembelajarannya hinggalah ke peringkat universiti.

Bukankah anda seorang yang pendera kepada perasaan anak anda itu demi menjaga kepentingan diri dan pasangan anda sendiri?

Penderaan yang bertunas itu membesar menjadi penderaan fizikal. Tunas-tunas yang tumbuh di peringkat awal penderaan itu perlu dicantas segera dan jangan membiarkannya menular ke dalam keluarga atau masyarakat.

Dalam mencantaskannya, ia harus kembali kepada sifat-sifat luhur dalam diri seseorang insan. Sifat-sifat marah kepada kanak-kanak yang tidak berdosa itu perlulah dimurnikan dengan perasaan kasih sayang.

Kembali muhasabah diri dan mendekati diri kepada agama supaya dapat dibentuk sifat-sifat luhur dalam diri.

Semua agama menyalurkan persepsi kebaikan hati kepada pengamalnya.

Perasaan kasih sayang boleh dididik dan ia memerlukan banyak kesabaran dalam menangani masalah yang kita hadapi.

Menanamkan perasaan kasih sayang itu tidak ada apa yang rugi malah membawa kebaikan kepada diri anda. Lihatlah sendiri, anak- anak gadis kita yang melarikan diri bersama jejaka dari Lombok, kalau bukan kerana didorongkan dengan perasaan kasih sayang atau cinta.

Janganlah nanti jejaka tempatan mendatangkan rasa kebimbangan kepada anak gadis disebabkan sikap suka mendera, terutamanya apabila gagal mengawal kemarahan sendiri berpunca daripada perkara-perkara yang remih ataupun melatah sewaktu ditimpa tekanan dalam kehidupan.