SARIKEI: Julau Member of Parliament Datuk Larry Sng Wei Shien has urged Bukit Aman to come down hard on gangsters who have turned his constituency into a 'Wild Wild West'.
In a post on his Facebook page today, Sng alleged that the gangsters not only operated online gambling in both Pakan and Julau districts, they have also expanded their illicit activities to selling drugs and contraband cigarettes, liquor and illegal money lending.
"They have forced the local coffee shops proprietors to buy their contraband in Pakan and Julau and have squeezed the profit margins from the shopkeepers. Those who resisted were forcefully threatened," he said and added syabu or 'Batu' was sold in public in Julau town to demonstrate that they were untouchable.
Sng said he was also informed that some public servants and longhouse chiefs had come into debt and were desperate to sell their land and borrow money to repay the gangsters who were charging them exorbitant interest rates.
"Many of these people can't afford to repay them and are often threatened by force," he stressed.
He said that he too crossed paths with some of the local gangster who were obviously looking to cause trouble as he was visiting the Chinese community in Julau who were celebrating Chinese New Year recently.
"Despite not being injured during the incident, it has since come to my attention how quickly the once peaceful rural town has now resembled that of the Wild Wild West," he said.
Quoting Julau police chief Deputy Superintendent Andam Sulin a local daily reported that four suspects have been remanded by the police in Julau on Feb 11 to assist in the investigation of a gangland crime case reported to have occurred in Pakan, recently.
"All the suspects were arrested and remanded on the same day the police report was made. The case is now being investigated under Section 506 of the Penal Code due to criminal threats," he said.
Andam was contacted pertaining to what Sng had written on his Facebook. – Bernama