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Concern in Malaysia over growth of ethnic Indian gangs

KUALA LUMPUR, . Raja, son of a poor Malaysian Indian rubber tapper, dropped out of school at 16 with no marketable skills other than violence.

For almost 20 years he made his living using threats or fists as the member of a gang specialising in debt-collecting.

Raja (not his real name) quit the Indian underworld three years ago. Now, amid growing alarm in Malaysia over the growth of ethnic Indian gangs, he says he uses his connections to avert gang clashes.

The issue hit the headlines this month when Mr. Ramli Yusuff, deputy national chief of detectives, disclosed that there were 38 Indian crime gangs in the Malay peninsula with a total membership of around 1,500. ``Indians are a minority in the country but criminals from the ethnic group are committing the most number of serious crimes compared with other races,'' he said.

Mr. Ramli said 651 Indians had been detained for serious gangland-style offences since the start of 1996, with the numbers increasing every year. He said poverty was the main reason with many Indian youths who migrated to towns from the country leading a hard life.

Raja, 39, explained how he became a member of a notorious gang in Selangor State. He said he and a few friends joined a gang while in school to protect themselves from fellow students. After they quit school, debt collectors sought their services. ``They come and tell us so and so owes 10,000 Ringgit (\$ 2,632). Collect the debt and we give you 2,000 ringgit. So we go and get it without any mercy for the debtor,'' he said.

Social workers and politicians say Indians turn to crime because they feel marginalised from government development plans and lack equal education, business and job opportunities.

A decades-old affirmative action programme to help Malays catch up with the Chinese but there is no such programme for Indians. Apart from the problems of urbanised Indians, most rubber estates lack basic amenities because they are privately- owned and do not qualify for state-provided rural aid.

Mr. S. Samy Vellu, president of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), on Thursday announced a programme to fight crime among Indian youth. The programme, initially to run for six months, involves visiting troubled schools and squatter settlements to provide counselling. Mr. Vellu said 100,000 Ringgit had been allocated to help the party, a member of the ruling coalition, fight social problems.

Social activist, Mr. S. Arutchelvan, said poverty was a key factor. ``They (Indians) turn to crime to achieve their material needs and form gangs because they are alienated following their displacement from the estates. They need to group together to protect one another.''

Mr. Arutchelvan said in most Indian schools, children either paid protection money or joined gangs. He said the police should adopt a more aggressive approach to wipe out ganglords, who were often linked to powerful elements of society. Ex- gangster Raja said, ``these students must be taught the dangers of joining gangs. Society must act now before it is too late.''

- AFP

source: The Hindu:Online edition of India's National Newspaper on indiaserver.com
Monday, October 02, 2000

They went as a prisionar, and came out as a....
What MIC or Malaysian Hindu Sangam had Done?

Are this body are let their child became prisionar.
How many of them had convert to other religion to seek better oppurtunity?

Why can't we provide them this oppurtinity?

If u have anything to share, yoo are welcome. MIF

What You Have To Say? MIF