Robbers took all my cash, then gave me $8 'hongbao'
HE received a RM20 ($8) 'hongbao', which he would have preferred to have done without.
The reason: The money came from one of three men who had just robbed him and his wife on the Malaysian North-South Highway near Yong Peng in Johor.
When the robber offered Mr B T Chng the 'hongbao', the 50-year-old feared that they were taking his Mercedes-Benz as well.
To the relief of this 'veteran victim' of highway crimes in Malaysia, they left his car alone.
Since 1983, Mr Chng has been robbed twice by armed men and conned into repairing his car twice after suspicious highway emergencies.
In 2003, he even foiled a carjacking attempt on a borrowed Mercedes-Benz.
All the incidents happened along the North-South Highway.
He contacted The New Paper after reading our report on highway robberies to warn readers not to fall into the same traps as he did.
Mr Chng, who drove into Malaysia frequently in the 1980s as a poultry trader, said: 'I don't know why I was so 'suay' (unlucky in Hokkien).
'I should have stopped driving, but I had no choice because of my work and gambling trips to Genting (Highlands).'
Before 1998, he drove into Malaysia at least three times a week.
Today, he considers himself lucky because he is alive to tell his story.
The last armed robbery happened in 2000 after his Mercedes was rear-ended by a Proton Wira near Yong Peng. He was on his way to meet business associates then.
At first, Mr Chng thought it was his fault for suddenly slowing down in the fast lane.
His wife, who had accompanied him on that trip, also thought it had been just an accident.
'Negotiation'
Both drivers agreed to head to a nearby rest area to negotiate. Mr Chng's car had minor damage, but the Proton's headlights and front bumper were badly damaged.
While they were there, at about 7pm, two men suddenly jumped into the rear of the Mercedes.
Mr Chng said: 'When I saw the two men, I realised I was 'sangkut' (stuck in Malay). One of them took out what looked like either a handle of a knife or a pistol.
'He shouted to us to drive. If I had resisted, he would have killed us.'
By then, his frightened wife had started to cry. The Proton driver also got into the Mercedes and the terrified couple were forced to drive to a rubber plantation.
Mr Chng tried to reason with his captors, but it was futile.
One of them shouted to Mr Chng not to argue. The robbers took his handphone, his wife's watch and $3,300 in Singapore and Malaysian currencies.
One robber had the audacity to give 'something' in return. Mr Chng said: 'They took all my money and wanted to give me RM20 as 'hongbao'.'
The robbers fled on motorcycles, leaving his car keys at the plantation's gate 200m away.
Mr Chng said he did not lodge a police report as he did expect any items to be recovered.
He added: 'I was confident we would walk out of the robbery safely if we gave the robbers what they wanted. The key was not to struggle.'
Perhaps his blase attitude stemmed from the first time he stared down the barrel of a gun.
In 1983, Mr Chng and three colleagues were heading to Genting Highlands when he saw a stalled car at the centre of a quiet, two-laned road near Gombak, Selangor, at 8pm. When they stopped, they saw the man who had flagged them down was holding a sub-machine gun.
Four other men appeared suddenly.
Mr Chng said: 'It was my first robbery experience and I was scared. The armed man was shouting, 'Show me your wallets', while pointing the gun in our faces.
'I was afraid the gun would accidentally go off.'
Mr Chng said he was lucky to lose only RM2,000 to the robbers.
'When you carry so much money, you got to be prepared to lose it. The same goes if you're wearing jewellery or driving a flashy car. It's all part and parcel of travelling,' he said.
Scams
In 2003 and 2005, two similar incidents made him realise that he had been scammed by highway pirates.
The first incident happened near Kajang, near Kuala Lumpur, when he passed below a flyover on which he spotted a few men. About 1km later, three of his car's tyres went flat.
In the later incident, near Seremban, a lorry carrying plastic drums accidentally unloaded some of its cargo onto MrChng's car, breaking the windshield.
In both instances, a 'concerned motorist' appeared within minutes and a tow truck soon after.
Having not much of a choice, Mr Chng paid RM300 to get the three punctured tyres repaired.
He also paid RM300 at a 'recommended workshop' for a second-hand windscreen.
This was first published in The New Paper on Sept 20, 2008.
HE received a RM20 ($8) 'hongbao', which he would have preferred to have done without.
The reason: The money came from one of three men who had just robbed him and his wife on the Malaysian North-South Highway near Yong Peng in Johor.
When the robber offered Mr B T Chng the 'hongbao', the 50-year-old feared that they were taking his Mercedes-Benz as well.
To the relief of this 'veteran victim' of highway crimes in Malaysia, they left his car alone.
Since 1983, Mr Chng has been robbed twice by armed men and conned into repairing his car twice after suspicious highway emergencies.
In 2003, he even foiled a carjacking attempt on a borrowed Mercedes-Benz.
All the incidents happened along the North-South Highway.
He contacted The New Paper after reading our report on highway robberies to warn readers not to fall into the same traps as he did.
Mr Chng, who drove into Malaysia frequently in the 1980s as a poultry trader, said: 'I don't know why I was so 'suay' (unlucky in Hokkien).
'I should have stopped driving, but I had no choice because of my work and gambling trips to Genting (Highlands).'
Before 1998, he drove into Malaysia at least three times a week.
Today, he considers himself lucky because he is alive to tell his story.
The last armed robbery happened in 2000 after his Mercedes was rear-ended by a Proton Wira near Yong Peng. He was on his way to meet business associates then.
At first, Mr Chng thought it was his fault for suddenly slowing down in the fast lane.
His wife, who had accompanied him on that trip, also thought it had been just an accident.
'Negotiation'
Both drivers agreed to head to a nearby rest area to negotiate. Mr Chng's car had minor damage, but the Proton's headlights and front bumper were badly damaged.
While they were there, at about 7pm, two men suddenly jumped into the rear of the Mercedes.
Mr Chng said: 'When I saw the two men, I realised I was 'sangkut' (stuck in Malay). One of them took out what looked like either a handle of a knife or a pistol.
'He shouted to us to drive. If I had resisted, he would have killed us.'
By then, his frightened wife had started to cry. The Proton driver also got into the Mercedes and the terrified couple were forced to drive to a rubber plantation.
Mr Chng tried to reason with his captors, but it was futile.
One of them shouted to Mr Chng not to argue. The robbers took his handphone, his wife's watch and $3,300 in Singapore and Malaysian currencies.
One robber had the audacity to give 'something' in return. Mr Chng said: 'They took all my money and wanted to give me RM20 as 'hongbao'.'
The robbers fled on motorcycles, leaving his car keys at the plantation's gate 200m away.
Mr Chng said he did not lodge a police report as he did expect any items to be recovered.
He added: 'I was confident we would walk out of the robbery safely if we gave the robbers what they wanted. The key was not to struggle.'
Perhaps his blase attitude stemmed from the first time he stared down the barrel of a gun.
In 1983, Mr Chng and three colleagues were heading to Genting Highlands when he saw a stalled car at the centre of a quiet, two-laned road near Gombak, Selangor, at 8pm. When they stopped, they saw the man who had flagged them down was holding a sub-machine gun.
Four other men appeared suddenly.
Mr Chng said: 'It was my first robbery experience and I was scared. The armed man was shouting, 'Show me your wallets', while pointing the gun in our faces.
'I was afraid the gun would accidentally go off.'
Mr Chng said he was lucky to lose only RM2,000 to the robbers.
'When you carry so much money, you got to be prepared to lose it. The same goes if you're wearing jewellery or driving a flashy car. It's all part and parcel of travelling,' he said.
Scams
In 2003 and 2005, two similar incidents made him realise that he had been scammed by highway pirates.
The first incident happened near Kajang, near Kuala Lumpur, when he passed below a flyover on which he spotted a few men. About 1km later, three of his car's tyres went flat.
In the later incident, near Seremban, a lorry carrying plastic drums accidentally unloaded some of its cargo onto MrChng's car, breaking the windshield.
In both instances, a 'concerned motorist' appeared within minutes and a tow truck soon after.
Having not much of a choice, Mr Chng paid RM300 to get the three punctured tyres repaired.
He also paid RM300 at a 'recommended workshop' for a second-hand windscreen.
This was first published in The New Paper on Sept 20, 2008.
