Towards Lesser Crime In JB (10)

Snatch Theft 

Snatch Thieves Meek As Mice Before Men In Blue

THEY may look tough while threatening a woman with a parang to hand over her handbag, but when faced with the men in blue, two snatch-thieves turned pale.

The suspects in their 20s had merely minutes earlier stopped a woman, who was walking along Jalan Sri Lanang in Johor Baru at about 1.30am on April 26.

Armed with a parang, they forced the victim to hand over her handbag, before fleeing the scene on a motorcycle.

However, the victim’s boyfriend, who witnessed the incident, gave chase on his motorcycle while the victim called the Johor police hotline and relayed the description of the suspects and their motorcycle to the officer in charge.

Johor Baru (south) police chief ACP Zainuddin Yaacob said a mobile police crime prevention patrol unit in the vicinity was alerted by the Central Monitoring Centre based at the Johor police contingent here.

Within minutes of the alert, the policemen had spotted and intercepted the suspects.

The suspects meekly handed over the handbag without the slightest struggle.

Zainuddin said the handbag was found to belong to the victim.

It contained her identification documents, ATM bankcards and mobile phone.

He said the suspects in custody were believed to be members of a snatch-theft group that had been active since the beginning of the year.

The thieves worked in pairs and targeted women in the area.

Initial investigations revealed that the suspects’ modus operandi included stopping motorcyclists with female pillion riders under the pretext of asking for directions.

While one asked for directions, the accomplice would snatch the woman’s handbag.

Force or weapons were used when faced with feisty victims.

The suspects have previous criminal records for petty crime and drug abuse.

They have been remanded under Section 395/397 of the Penal Code for gang and armed robbery and face a 20-year imprisonment term and whippings if found guilty.

Source: New Straits Times - May 9, 2011

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Police arrested 14 men, all in their 20s and 30s, in connection with the death of a woman during a botched snatch theft here on Friday February 24, 2011.

They were picked up by a special team from the Johor police contingent headquarters.

Police also raided several budget hotels and three known drug haunts in the Tampoi area, where they believed the wanted suspects were hiding, in the district-wide effort to arrest those responsible.
A police source said the suspects included some foreigners.

"The suspects, mainly motorcyclists, are believed to be repeat robbers and snatch thieves as some have prior records."
"All have also tested positive for drugs after their arrests," said the source.

The source said snatch theft gangs were rampant along some busy stretches in the city.
 

Police forensic personnel examining the spot at Km8.9 of Jalan Skudai, Johor Baru, where a pillion rider was killed. — Photo Source: New Straits Times - February 25, 2011

On Friday morning, February 24, 2011, 52-year old Alamelu Ramasamy was killed at Km8.9 Jalan Skudai during a snatch theft attempt by two men on separate motorcycles.

In the 6am incident at Km8.9 of Jalan Skudai, three men, believed to be foreigners, each riding a motorcycle, allegedly boxed in D. Ganesh, 36, and his sister-in-law, Alamelu Ramasamy, 52, who was pillion riding.

One of the men was said to have tried to snatch Alamelu's pouch bag, causing her to fell backwards and Ganesh to lose control of his machine.

Alamelu died on the spot after falling off a motorcycle during the robbery attempt.

Ganesh, who stays with his brother and sister-in-law in Taman Universiti here, was sending Alamelu to the JB Sentral bus station to take a bus to Singapore, where she worked as a cleaner, when the incident happened.

The incident caused a traffic jam as motorists slowed down to catch a glimpse of what had happened.
Police forensic personnel were seen collecting evidence at the scene.

Earlier, Johor police chief Datuk Mokhtar Shariff said police were trying to ascertain if the incident was a snatch theft case because,

"The victim's belongings were intact and there are reasonable doubts as the victim was said to have a history of breathing difficulties and asthma," he said.

"There is a possibility that Alamelu died of cardiopulmonary arrest or in layman's term, a heart attack."

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Johor police chief Datuk Mokhtar Shariff, in confirming the 14 men's arrests said:

"The order has been out to all district police chiefs to aggressively monitor various areas in the state to curb and prevent snatch thefts."

"All police districts will deploy their regular police patrol, plainclothes crime prevention teams, motorcycle Ninja squads and also mobile police vehicles to actively monitor urban roads and residential areas."

Traffic police personnel will assist in the efforts by concentrating their policing on the roads during peak hours in the morning and evenings.

Police had mounted roadblocks in several high density stretches in the Tampoi area where the incident took place.

Jalan Skudai saw minor traffic congestion as police personnel screened motorcyclists.

Snatch theft gangs were rampant along the stretch between 5.45am and 7.30am, targetting the thousands of motorcyclists heading for their workplace in Singapore.

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Enforcement Lacking In Johor Baru

I REFER to the report ‘Shahrir chides blogger over ‘sin city’ JB, (The Star, April 27).
The United States based Malaysian blogger Dr Azly Rahman seems better informed than our own Member of Parliament!
Elected persons should walk with the common folk to gauge the problems in the city.
Sitting in five-star hotels and coffeehouses will not help! It is a different plain altogether.
A mere walk along the backlane between Jalan Wong Ah Fook and Meldrum in the evening will lend support to Dr Azly’s views.
The backlane in the city centre where hawkers ply their trade is infested with overfed rats and cockroaches and the manholes are not covered and pose a danger to pedestrians, especially senior citizens and children.
It seems reports have been made by hawkers but no action taken.
And for a gateway city to have such despicable backlanes is a shame.
The other evening as I sat dining at the Peking Restaurant in Sentosa, a group of Singaporean diners paid their bill and went to the car park but soon came back exclaiming that their car had been stolen!
Claims by authorities that the crime rate has fallen may be an incorrect assertion. It may be correct to say that reports of crime has fallen because victims don’t report cases as they feel nothing will come out of it.
In this country we have numerous laws and regulations but we are lackadaisical in our inspection and enforcement.
At times we are selective in what we do.
S. BALARAJAH,
Johor Baru.

Source: The Star - Friday, April 29, 2011 

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Proactive Measures Need To Be Taken

I REFER to “Enforcement lacking in Johor Baru” and "Students at mercy of snatch thieves" (The Star, April 29).
Instead of taking action to tackle the problems highlighted by the public, the authorities chose to remain in a state of denial, either by publishing statistics that paint a rosy picture or by dismissing public complaints as baseless.
The authorities need to keep in mind it is their responsibility to change negative perceptions that locals or foreigners have towards the cities. This task cannot be accomplished by mere words without substantial actions.
Proactive measures need to be taken to curb crime and to improve the physical amenities.
The intended outcome would be having the residents wholeheartedly agreeing with the authorities that their cities are a great place to live in.
WANG SU MEI,
Kuala Lumpur.

Source: The Star - Tuesday, May 3, 2011

The Maid - Squeezing Dry The Employers (4)

Maid Via The Black Market

KUALA LUMPUR – Freelance recruitment agents are making big bucks by supplying maids to Malaysian employers through the 'black market.'
A probe by national daily The Star showed that the continuing high demand for Indonesian domestic helpers, despite a temporary ban in place, has created this lucrative, albeit illegal,  recruitment of maids.
Most pf the people involved are freelance individuals - who dubbeed themselves as agents - who have contact with similar kind of people in Indonesia.
Both parties are not tied to any associations in their respective countries.
Therefore, they can supply maids “under the radar” despite the supply freeze imposed nearly a year ago by the Indonesian government.
Hefty increase in recruitment fee
One 'agent' here told the paper that business had been good despite a hefty increase in the recruitment fee.
Before the freeze, the recruitment fee charged by an agency was about RM5,000, inclusive of payments for levy, work permit, airfare and six months' salary.
Now, the fee can go as high as RM10,000.
An executive from Bukit Mertajam said it was difficult to raise RM9,400 for the agent but she was desperate to get help to look after her mother.
The woman, who gave her name only as Tan, said the agent agreed to get a maid from Indonesia provided she (Tan) personally applies to the Immigration Department for a one-year calling visa to allow the helper to work here.
Discussion between PM and Susilo
It is learnt that a high-level meeting held last Friday between the Home Ministry and Indonesia's Manpower and Transmigration Ministry finally broke the impasse on the issue between the two countries.
A memorandum of understanding on maids is expected to be signed during the visit here of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
The signing will be witnessed by the Indonesian president and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak after their retreat on Tuesday.— Malaysian Mirror.

Source: Malaysian Mirror - Monday, May 17, 2010  

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I was approached by a number of friends in JB who asked me to get maids, or helpers from Batam, as I often visit the place. 

Sad it seem, the shortage of maids really affect normalcy in some households I know. 

I know of Indonesians from faraway, stationing themselves in Batam, hoping to work in country across it.

Ironically, I was approached by a number of Indonesians in Batam who made their wish known to Me. 

They wanted My help. 

They wanted to work, any type of work available, in Singapore (???) 

I was even approached by someone who was prepared to provide rotating female house helpers, again, to work in Singapore. 

When I mentioned of knowing many households in JB that need helpers, they were not keen, as they work for money, and they go after the exchange rate. 

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Indonesian Women Slaves Saved from Malaysian Hell

Kuala Lumpur. Malaysian authorities rescued 71 Indonesian women who claimed they were forced to work long hours as cleaners without pay for at least two years, an official said Monday.

Immigration officials raided a house where the women were staying after three of them fled and alerted authorities, said Nar Azaman Ibrahim, the immigration enforcement chief of Malaysia’s northern Kedah state. The women were kept at the house and sent to different homes for daily cleaning jobs.

The women entered neighboring Malaysia through a migrant worker recruitment agent who promised to find them work as maids for 500 ringgit ($160) a month. But when they arrived, the man took away their passports and forced them to clean homes every day without any time off, Nar Azaman said.

Most of the women, including one as young as 17, had never been paid, but were promised they would receive money eventually, Nar Azaman said.

The man who held them has been arrested and could be charged with human trafficking, an offense that carries a maximum prison term of 15 years.

The women are now at a shelter in an illegal migrant detention center near Kuala Lumpur.

Nearly 2 million foreigners, mostly from poorer regional countries, work in Malaysia’s construction, plantation, manufacturing and service industries. Claims of overwork, unpaid salaries and sometimes even physical abuse are common. - Associated Press.

Source: The Jakarta Globe - July 26, 2010

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Safi invited us to her house-warming.  

When we reached Safi's house, I could see that Zah was reluctant to leave the car. 

Tears trickled from her eyes. 

I was happy for Safi. 

She got the resale corner-lot house, with mango tree loaded of ready-to-eat, ready-to-pluck fruits.

The house is strategically located not far from Giant Supermarket and other amenities, at a great bargain price, less than RM200,000. 

Wasn't Zah happy for Safi too?  

I had it all wrong, she said. 

She was happy for Safi, but was terribly hurt by the previous owner of the house. 

Zah used to drop by that particular house. 

The previous owner,who owns a maid agency, used to be her good friend for many, many years. 

Naturally, she turned to her this good friend for maids. 

She never failed her, not until the last time, about a year ago. 

After she gave her a deposit of RM3,000 for a new maid, after a three months lapse, she called her, no answer. 

She dropped by her place, nobody at home. 

She did not want to lose a valued friendship at the cost of only RM3,000. 

Now, after slightly more than a year, Zah is still without maid. 

She asked Me to help her getting one in Batam, but I have not the heart to tell her that they will work anytime if it is Singapore.

I asked her to tag with Me along to Batam.

I  promised her I'll get help from friend over there to bring us to the place where maid agency placed their potential house-helpers.  

But Zah would still prefer her good friend where agency is concerned. 

Such a loyal friend! 

She knew her friend is in great difficulties, especially at the time when Indonesian maids' entry to Malaysia is still pending.

When Zah knew that Safi bought the house she used to spend her evenings, her heart thumped aloud. 

The maid agency owner knew Zah is looking for a house very badly. 

And, Zah had umpteenth times told her, should she intended to sell her house, Zah is the first ready buyer.

Instead, she sold it to Zah's other good friend, which she wasn't aware of.

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Good Help Is Harder To Find 
By JOSEPH LOH  

Malaysians are grousing that hiring foreign maids these days is more costly and time-consuming, and recruitment agencies say the situation may well continue if certain problems in the industry are not addressed.
WHEN work commitments for Tan S.K. and his wife demanded more of their time, it left them less for domestic matters. He then decided to hire a foreign maid to help with chores around the house and to look after his two young children.
He soon discovered that hiring a foreign maid could be a frustrating process. The time needed before they could get the maid was lengthy, not to mention the initial cost involved.

Feeling at home: Although other countries pay better salaries, Indonesian maids are more comfortable working in Malaysia as there is no language barrier and they are free to practise their religion.

“From the time that I approached a maid agency to actually getting one took six months. I also had to fork out about RM7,500 even before I saw her in person.
“Furthermore, the maid was unsuitable and we requested a replacement — and we had to go through the whole process again. Fortunately, it only took about three months the second time,” Tan says.
This meant it took nine months before he had a live-in maid. With all the hassle he had to go through — not to mention the addition of another person to the household — Tan has decided not to hire another when the current contract expires.
“I don’t know how much a maid is going to cost me in future, and with what I have gone through, I don’t feel it is worth the hassle. I will probably look for part-time maid services then.”
Tan’s experience is one that is becoming increasingly common, but this is a situation that has been developing over the last five years.
According to Malaysian Association Of Foreign Maid Agencies (Papa) president Datuk Raja Zulkepley Dahalan, the most obvious reason is there is a shortage of maids from Indonesia, where Malaysia obtains about 95% of its maids.
“We are not only facing a shortage but an acute shortage! It is very serious, and our business has dropped by about 60%,” he says, adding that the situation worsened considerably over the last two years.
Raja Zulkepley informs that maids from other countries such as Cambodia and the Philippines are allowed, but the popular choice is Indonesia mainly because of lower wages lower compared to other countries.
“Malaysians prefer Indonesians as they are very good. They suit the job demands here, and communication is less of a problem,” he says.

"The salary is in line with the cost of living here"- FIONA LOW

Unpopular choice
Potential employers may find difficulty in obtaining a maid, but those facing bigger pressure are the maid agencies themselves. Describes Agensi Pekerjaan Sentosa SB director K.C. Lau, “The last two years were particularly bad, but from the end of 2004, we could feel it was getting difficult. This could be because Hong Kong and Taiwan opened up to hiring foreign maids.
“I have much difficulty meeting my target – it was a lot easier before. I could easily obtain 20 to 30 maids from each supplier back then, but can only get about four or five now.”
Lam*, from a KL-based agency, says her recruitment has reduced by 40%.
“Three years ago, I could obtain 500 maids a month, now it is less than 300,” she says, adding that many smaller agencies have stopped operating or want to sell their licences.
Agensi Pekerjaan Sri Nadin Sdn Bhd general manager Fiona Low, however, believes there is no shortage of potential maids in Indonesia. “People there know how to compare (between countries) and can choose where they want to go, and this affects the volume coming in.”
Raja Zulkepley believes there are many reasons why the supply of maids from Indonesia is dwindling. One is that the maids themselves, and the recruitment agencies, prefer other countries.
It essentially boils down to a matter of dollars and cents. Other countries pay higher salaries than Malaysia, he says. For example, maids in Taiwan are paid about RM2,400 a month; Hong Kong, RM1,700; Singapore and the Middle East, RM800. In Malaysia they are paid about RM600.
But Low believes that this should not be a factor. “The salary is what we (Malaysians) can offer at the moment, and it is in line with the cost of living here. You cannot compare this with other countries.”
She adds, “Not all maids are looking at the prospect of money — it is to do with their comfort level. Malaysia is still one of the nearest countries, has the same religion, and some may also have relatives here.”
Lam disagrees, insisting that the wage disparity cannot be ignored.
“Wages here are very low compared to other countries. If you were a maid, where would you want to go?”
Furthermore, there is a difference in which party has to pay for getting the maid into the country.
Says Lau, “Under the Malaysian system, both employer and maid have to pay (respective agencies) money, but in the Middle East, the employer pays everything. The maids just go there to work. Most have to take a loan to come to Malaysia, but not so for the Middle East.”
Lam adds that for countries like Taiwan, maids are even willing to pay recruiters for the opportunity to work there.
Question of cost
Another point is that maid suppliers in Indonesia are paid higher agency fees by other countries compared to Malaysia, reveals Lau.
“Other countries are giving higher agency fees, so in order to be competitive, we have to give higher fees too. From the year 2005, it has almost doubled. Last time, we paid about RM3,000 for each maid. Now it is about RM5,000 to RM6,000,” he says.
Adds Low, “This is a free market and (trade) depends on a willing buyer and seller. If somebody has a better offer, you will have to pay more than usual.”
A common complaint among employers is the high cost involved in obtaining a maid from Indonesia. Currently, one has to pay at least RM7,500.
“People always put the blame on local maid agencies, and say we are making excess profits, but this is something beyond our control,” says Raja Zulkepley.
The actual cost is significantly less, Low says. “Actually, employers only pay about RM4,500 to get a maid.”
She explains that in most instances, the maid will not have to be paid for the first six months.
“The additional sum is a loan of sorts that employers give to the maid,” she says, adding that this is usually used to pay for miscellaneous expenses such as travel and training received in Indonesia.
Negative perception
Another factor is that Malaysia is perceived by some as a bad country to work in.
“The reputation of Malaysia is very bad,” says Raja Zulkepley. One reason for this is abuse cases in Malaysia are excessively highlighted in the press.
“There are also similar cases of abuse in Singapore, Taiwan, or the Middle East, for example, but they are not played up as much, so they think that Malaysia is not a good country,” he says.
Lam agrees, saying: “In Malaysia, it will be in the news for a few weeks and then we forget about it. But it is different in Indonesia; it can drag on for months!”
This is compounded by the fact that significant numbers of Indonesians are working illegally in the country.
“Because of this they are not protected and many are not treated fairly by employers — ranging from not getting paid to being abused. When these girls go home, they spread the word,” says Raja Zulkepley.
On the time span involved in getting a maid, Raja Zulkeply says it takes a long time to complete the procedure before maids can work in the country.
“Bringing foreign maids into our country will incur a lot of red tape. Sometimes it can take as long as two to three months,” he explains, adding that in this time, suppliers incur the cost of providing for the maids’ board and lodging.
He gives the example of Singapore, where approvals can be obtained within two or three days. For the Middle East, block visas are provided, with specific individual visas given upon arrival.
Lam points out a loophole where employers can send maids home without informing the agency.
“This can give rise to many problems such as abuse, rape or unpaid salaries. The employer can send them home and agencies or the Government won’t know anything about it. If they have to go through the agency there will be better control.”
Raja Zulkepley believes that Papa can play a significant role in streamlining the industry. “In order to become more efficient, all Malaysian maid agencies must be members of Papa. This was actually approved by the Immigration Department in June 2007, but has never been enforced.”
New source countries
One major benefit, he says, is that as a united front, it can get better rates from the suppliers. He says that Papa has also called for the reduction of the minimum age of incoming Indonesian maids from 21 to 18 in addition to calling for new source countries — China in particular.
But until then, local maid agencies have to work within existing constraints.
Says Lau, “Fortunately, our profits are about the same, but capital investment has gone up considerably. We could make one Ringgit for every two spent before, but now we need four! And who wants to raise their prices? This is bad for business! If we keep it low, everyone can afford a maid.”
Low believes the difficulty in obtaining maids will remain as the status quo.
“It is already like this. We hope that people will understand the difficulties and be more tolerant.”
Concludes Lam, “The cost of recruiting maids rose faster than the price of petrol! Many things in the industry are out of our control, and keep in mind that we are dealing with humans, not products. This line of work is very difficult, and I am tired and find it very hard to continue. We may have been able to make good money last time, but not any more.”
* Name has been changed.

Source: The Star - Sunday, January 11, 2009

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.