Forced Into It

Saturday July 10, 2010 - Student Beaten Up For Wanting To Leave Gang 


JOHOR BARU: A 17-year-old boy paid a hefty price to get out of a gang - he was abducted outside his school and beaten up by 30 gang members.
Lim Bing Li, a Form 5 student of Foon Yew High School in Stulang Laut here, was abducted at about 6pm on Friday by 30 men who came in five cars.
They took Lim to a secluded area in Senibong, Permas Jaya, where the gang leader beat him with a fishing rod and wooden sticks, while the rest of the gang members surrounded him.
Lim, who suffered a head injury that required 12 stitches and bruises on his arms, face and back, was left there bleeding.
A motorcyclist who saw him took him to a nearby clinic for treatment and later helped him lodge a report at the Permas Jaya police station.
After that Lim was taken to the Sultanah Aminah Hospital for further check-up by his father.
At the hospital Lim said he had joined the gang, which was involved in illegal gambling, last year and wanted to get out.
He added that being beaten up was part of the initiation for any member wanting to leave.
Johor Baru (South) OCPD Asst Comm Zainuddin Yaakob urged anyone with information to contact the police hotline at 07-2212999 or the nearest police station.

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That is what appeared in today's Star.

I remembere there was once, a mother came to me apologising for her daughter's long absent from class.

Seeing her red eyes, I had to be careful with my choice of words, and lost all of it - speechless.
I just hold her hands very tightly, and... she burst out.

The tense situation took quite a while before she felt composed.

Her 15 year-old son had not been coming back home regularly and it became a great worry for both parents.


Knowing he is a well-behaved, obedient and studious student mixing with only good company, blending himself with secret society is never in the parents' dream, but that's what he was in.


Seeing the boy being naive, he was approached and befriended by one of the gang member, about his age. They were soon to become best friend and great buddies by drinking each other's blood.


Both parents only knew of their son's involvement in the triad activities after a call from his teacher enquiring of his long absent from school.
The parents and the boy were called into the principal room to discuss matters.
Police was called too and the boy promised to turn over a new leaf.


Police was on a lookout outside the school compound to question his buddy but he no longer appear to be with him after school.


Hopefully, it was all over with the buddy absent from school. But, it makes matter worst.

The son would go out any time of the day and night, unpredictable of when he will be coming back.
When asked where did he sleep when he was not sleeping at home, his reply was, he slept at the void deck of any block of flat which he was not even sure of the number or the street address.
He was getting zombier each passing day, missing his school and not remembering his family.


The father, whenever getting the information of the son still not home at night, would then, straight from his working place, do his own search, at any blocks of flat which his legs brought him, sometime until the wee hours, or till the next morning. His search was island wide.


The son had went counselling, yet matters were worsening for him.


Only with traditional and spiritual consultations, was it made known that his spirit and soul had been charmed and trapped by the triad which he was involved.
That's the reason for the boy always in daze and unaware of his doings.


Upon checking, he had a 'small figurine' in his schoolbag, which he was not even sure what it was or who had put it there...   

Abused While Alive And After Death

Not Only Physically Abused
A 65-year-old American woman with dementia was locked in a tiny room - with a urine-soaked mattress to sleep on and a dog bowl to drink from for months - so that her three "keepers" could live off her monthly government pension cheques.

A police officer sent to the suspects' home in Anderson, Indianapolis found Anna Turner locked in the 2m by 2.5m storage room, police said in a probable cause affidavit.
One of the suspects, Luigi A. Amalfitano, 45, told the officer that he didn't know Turner and that she wasn't at the home.
But the officer conducted a sweep of the home and found Turner in a room that was "barely fit to contain an animal, let alone a human being".

Amalfitano, his 20-year-old son Louis A. Amalfitano, and his son's girlfriend, 21-year-old Stephanie Lynette Cole were arrested and face preliminary charges of exploitation of an endangered adult.
The Amalfitanos also face preliminary charges of confinement and battery, and Cole faces a preliminary charge of aiding confinement.
The three remained jailed on Friday, May 28 on US$100,000 (S$140,000) cash bonds.

Anderson police Detective Mitch Carroll said Turner suffered severe physical abuse at the house and was gaunt, malnourished and had a black eye and large bruises on her arm and body when she was taken from the home. - AP

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Spiritually Abused Too

ALTHOUGH the old granny was surviving on the little allowance subsidised by the Social Welfare Department, she took good care of her grandson.

After all the love and efforts she showered on the boy, the granny did not get back the treatment she deserved.
She died in 2008 but was only laid to rest a year later as the grandson lost all the money for her funeral at the gambling table.

The grandson (left) was taken back to the training centre from the court (Photo: Oriental Daily)

A court in the Special Administrative Region found the odd-job worker, 19, guilty and ordered him to continue with his rehabilitation course at a training centre.
The teenager had been undergoing the course since November 2008 after he was found guilty of selling illegal cigarettes.

According to Ming Bao, the grandson was sent to live with his grandmother in Hong Kong by his parents, who remained in China when he was nine years old.
In August 2008, the grandmother died at the hospital.
Then, a sum of HK$10,750 (S$2,050) was deposited into the grandson's account by the Social Welfare Department for the granny's funeral arrangements.

Two days after the money was given, the grandson took all of them and travelled to Macau.
He only returned five hours later after losing the money at he gambling table.
His grandmother was left at the hospital mortuary for a year and was only laid to rest in August 2009 with the help of police and the Social Welfare Department.

Whose Haven Is Johor Bahru?

It was reported in The Star 2 days ago that residents of Taman Majidee are living in increasing fear for the past 20 years as criminals are getting more daring and aggressive.

The neighbourhood used to be a nice place to live in the 70s but now no one can walk the streets alone without worrying about snatch thieves and robbers.
Many residents hope for a stronger police presence in the neighbourhood to curb multiple crimes, especially house break-ins. The question lingers of why the police had not been keeping an eye on the neighbourhood with the high crime rate there.

Zainab Ibrahim, 54, a retiree living with her daughter, son-in-law and 2 grandchildren, had her house been broken into at least 10 times in the past 30 years. She had also been a victim of snatch theft 3 times last year.

Low, 57, a businessman echoed Zainab’s sentiment that the crime rate in the area was much lower 20 years ago.
He owns a shop lot in the area and it is disturbing that so many crimes occur on a monthly basis.  

A retired doctor Another resident, Govind, 71, said crime was a common occurrence in the neighbourhood.

Almost every month, a house is robbed so it is no more a surprise news hearing about the robbery attempt on June 1, about 300m from his house, where robbers used a woman as a human shield when pursued by a security guard.
In the robbery attempt, a 19-year-old girl, a Datuk's daughter, suffered head injuries in the botched heist at her house has died around 10.45pm on Thursday.

The security guard opened fire on the 3 robbers while trying to escape with stolen goods on Tuesday night.
It was earlier reported that one robber involved in the heist was shot dead and another shot in the leg by the security guard.
The third robber was arrested after a car chase near Taman Kebun Teh.

Johor Baru (South) OCPD Asst Comm Zainuddin Yaakob said that police would step up patrols in the housing estate. “We are aware of the residents’ concerns. We will increase patrols as well as police presence,” he said.
He urged anyone with information on any crime related cases to contact the police hotline at 07-2212999 or the nearest police station.

Upon reading this, and reading the police statement of  "we will increase patrols and he urged anyone with information on any crime related cases to contact the police", my instinct of the ever increasing crime rate will never dip with such answers given.

I am about to share my story with readers in this blog when my eyes caught another news of JB city council taken to task for inaction.

The Johor Baru City Council has been taken to task for failing to act on public complaints despite numerous calls from local representatives.
Johor Baru MCA division chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong (pic) said the council must take drastic action in dealing with the people’s complaints or face the wrath of the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC).
“We feel disappointed over the lack of cooperation by the city council in taking action on complaints.
“For example, the residents in Taman Century have been complaining about excessive noise from nearby nightclubs, but they (city council) have not taken action,” he told newsmen after the division’s annual general meeting, which was launched by MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek.
Dr Wee said the people in Taman Century wanted the council to ensure that the clubs kept out the noise but to no avail.
“Lack of action by the city council reflects badly on the Barisan Nasional government.
“If the mayor does not take action on public complaints, then the party has to report the matter to the MACC,” he said.
He added that he and Johor Baru MP Datuk Shahrir Samad had visited places which the people had complained about.
“The people’s concerns must be heard and acted upon quickly. The cooperation of the council is paramount towards ensuring the people’s support for Barisan here,” he said.
On the AGM, Dr Wee said that the party had grown more stable under the leadership of Dr Chua.
“The Chinese community is happy that the party is voicing their concerns on various matters,” he said.

Today, JB's mayor has defended the MBJB.

Mayor Mohd Jaafar Awang has defended the Johor Baru City Council (MBJB), which has been criticised for allegedly not being proactive towards complaints.

The city council, he said, was doing its part to address issues brought to its attention but it could not promise that all the problems could be solved.
He said the council was trying its best but “it is premature to say that it has not been taking any action on the complaints”.
Jaafar was responding to remarks made by Johor Baru MCA division chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong on Sunday that MBJB had failed to act on public complaints, even those raised by local representatives.
Dr Wee cited the example of Taman Century residents, who were upset about the loud noise from nearby nightspots, but MBJB allegedly did not act on the complaints.
Contacted by The Star, Jaafar said it was unfair to blame MBJB as “we are only human and cannot assure that all problems will be solved”.
“All problems are noted during council meetings regardless if they are brought up by local representatives or the public. And we always follow up on them,” he said.
Jaafar also said that Dr Wee should forward details of the grouses he received to the council.
“We would also like to urge residents who have complaints to come to our office every Thursday from 2pm to 5pm if they feel that their problems are inadequately addres­sed,” he said, adding that no appointment was required.
Jaafar said the city council had also received complaints via telephone.
“As for the residents in Taman Century, I would like to state that we have visited the area but we did not find that the noise was disturbing,” he said.
Besides MBJB, he said the district office was also in charge of issuing entertainment licences and it was equally responsible for taking action against loud entertainment outlets.

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As for now, JB is all defended. Save my breath.