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Online poll says Malaysians don't feel safe in own country

metalslug

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Online poll says Malaysians don't feel safe in own country
'Criminals here seem to have gone crazy'
By Gan Ling Kai

July 30, 2009

NP_IMAGES_LKCRIME-2DW.jpg

NEW STRAITS TIMES FILE PICTURE

JUST three weeks ago, his car became a target of crime in Johor Baru.

The thief smashed its window, and stole a cash card machine and the cash card.

It was the second time in a few years that actor Yao Wenlong's car window had been smashed.

Although not much was stolen in both instances - the cash card had only RM50 ($20) in the latest incident - the incidents rattled the Singapore PR's confidence.

'It's better to park your car in a crowded place, and you should not leave any valuables in it,' he said.

If a recent online poll by the Malaysian Home Ministry is any indication, most people feel unsafe in Malaysia.

According to the poll, 97 per cent of 9,776 respondents as of 5pm yesterday said they did not feel safe, because of the high crime rate.

More than 60 per cent said this was because they or their family members were crime victims. Only 1 per cent said they felt safe.

However, like most online polls, anyone could vote, and vote any number of times.

Wenlong's actor friend Chen Hanwei, 39, another Singaporean PR, crosses the Causeway twice a month to spend time with his parents.

Hanwei says he exercises extra caution on these visits.

His parents live in an estate of more than 100 houses. The estate has 3m-high wire fence all round it, and is guarded by more than 10 security personnel round the clock on foot or bicycles.

'I hardly leave my doorstep the moment I'm home. Even if I have to travel, I make sure I park my car at a spot where I can see it,' he said.

The New Paper also spoke to Mr Haji Mohd Sulaiman, 60, village chief of Kampung Parit Raja in Batu Pahat, Johor.

The retired teacher claimed that despite frequent police patrols in his village, crime still occurs.

'There are about 16 policemen on their rounds regularly. The villagers also patrol the area, but they are unarmed,' he said.

Still, two weeks ago, his two motorcycles were stolen. He claimed that the theft happened around 3am, when he was asleep.

Alarm system

Another Johor resident, Mr Jackie Long, 46, who owns an automobile accessories shop, said an alarm system for a car is not enough to fend off burglars.

Increasingly, Malaysian car owners are purchasing 'immobilisers', he said.

Priced at RM600 ($250) each, these immobilisers prevent the engine from running unless the correct key is used.

This prevents the car from being 'hot wired', which means starting it without a key.

Is the situation better in Kuala Lumpur?

No, says KL resident Hazarina Zakaria, 31, a business development manager.

Her ex-colleague was walking towards her car, parked outside her office building, when someone snatched her bag, said Ms Hazarina.

The victim tried to put up a fight but fell to the ground, suffering abrasions. She had to take long leave from work to recover from the trauma.

'I never thought that such violence could happen to my friend. The criminals here seem to have gone crazy. I myself feel like a 'psycho' when I have to keep looking over my shoulder. These days, you can get robbed even in crowded places,' she said.

The window of her own car was recently smashed by a thief, she added. A laptop case was stolen. Fortunately, the case was empty.

The car of another KL resident - Ms Milly Ngoh - was stolen about six years ago.

Ms Ngoh said: 'My husband had parked it by the side of the road and gone to relieve himself by the corner but when he returned, the car was gone. The thief was really fast.'

Fashion designer David Fung, 39, whose workshop is in KL, said one of his staff, too, was a victim of a snatch theft.

'She was riding behind her husband on a motorbike when another motorcyclist reached out to grab her anklet,' he said.

Doesn't use same route

To be safe, Mr Fung himself doesn't use the same route to go home every day.

Miss Falisa Abu Bakar, 40, who lives in a KL condominium, has not been attacked, but she is also on guard all the time.

'Gone are the days when we could feel safe walking to the shops. Last time, when we dine out, we could just plonk our bag on the empty seat next to us. Now, we have to hold on to our belongings.'

Miss Falisa said the crime situation in KL is probably related to the 'Mat Rempit' gangs - bikers illegally racing and performing stunts on public roads.

They are known to also commit snatch theft and armed robbery.

But not everyone agrees Malaysia is unsafe.

Former Malaysian crime reporter Ahmad Asri Khalbi told The New Paper he feels secure in his country.

'I can drink teh tarik in Johor alone at midnight and still feel safe,' said Mr Ahmad Asri, 38.

He added: 'I don't bother to install any alarm system. When I am away, my neighbour watches over my house.'

Prime Minister Najib Razak has declared war on crime, pledging to bring down the crime rate on the streets by 20 per cent next year.

'Four main areas - Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Penang, and Johor - have been identified as the hot spots for this type of (street) crime,' he said in Kuala Lumpur on Monday , while setting his administration's targets.

Nurul Asyikin Mohd Nasir and Ervina Mohamed Jamil, newsroom interns



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UNSAFE IN OWN COUNTRY

1%


feel safe within the Malaysian landscape

63%


have been victims of crime, or have a family member who was a victim

78%


do not agree that crime is a global issue and that Malaysia is not the only country bogged down by it

95%


feel the safety of Malaysian citizens is not guaranteed

94%


feel the M'sian government has not taken all measures necessary to ensure the safety of citizens


Results of a Malaysian Home Ministry online poll of about 10,000 people, as of 5pm yesterday.
 

metalslug

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http://tnp.sg/news/story/0,4136,209090,00.html?

S'poreans say they don't care
July 30, 2009

NP_IMAGES_LKCRIME.jpg


NEVER mind what Malaysians think.

Singaporean Bernard Tan will still cross the Causeway to eat his favourite fruit, durians.

And he's not alone.

There were about 5 million visitors from Singapore from the start of the year till the end of May, said Malaysia's Tourism Ministry.

That's an increase of more than a million in arrivals from the same period last year. The ministry also revealed almost half of all the visitors to Malaysia were from Singapore.

Just last month, Mr Tan, 25, a fresh graduate, spent $59 to join a one-day tour group to visit a durian plantation in Johor.

He doesn't throw all care to the wind, of course.

'I keep my belongings close to myself at all times, and I don't place all my cash in the wallet, in case it gets snatched,' he said.

His recent trip was organised by Luxury Tours & Travel. Its manager, Ms Janice Lim, 37, knows the agency needs to stay vigilant - her friends' bags have been snatched there.

'We would make sure our drivers do not stop the coaches or open the doors unnecessarily while travelling,' she said.

Singaporean Ong Qiao Mei, 24, a senior auditor, has relatives in Malaysia, so she travels there once every two months.

Although she has never been hit by crime, her aunt was robbed in Johor Baru this May.

A motorcyclist had grabbed her aunt's handbag, and when she finally let it go after a struggle, she fell and banged her head against the kerb, Miss Ong told The New Paper yesterday.

Her aunt also lost a few hundred dollars, credit cards and her mobile phone.

A police report was made in Malaysia. To Miss Ong's knowledge, the thief has not been caught.

Does she think that the crime rate is high in Malaysia?

'It's relative,' she said. 'If you compare Malaysia with Singapore, the crime rate seems to be high, but there are other countries facing worse situations.'

Another Singaporean, Madam Salamah Ahmad, 47, and her husband drive to JB once a month to buy groceries.

She said store owners there advise her to be careful with her belongings.

'Just last Saturday, I went to JB to get sofa covers made. As I left the shop, the owner told me, 'kakak (sister), be careful with your handbag, you must grip it tightly.'

But the housewife added, laughing: 'Because of the exchange rate, we cannot help going to Malaysia!'

Current conversion rate is about $1 to RM2.4.
 
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