An Overview Of The 10 Shooting Cases In Malaysia In The Last 30 Days
In July so far there have been six shooting cases.
By Sadho Ram — 14 Jul 2016, 05:36 PM
The recent spate of shooting-related crimes across the country has left not only the general public feeling alarmed, but they have also increased the Malaysian police department's concerns. So much so that a Special Task Force has been formed to look into the cases:
"I have said before that there’s a reason behind each shooting case. This is not a random shooting. This is not people having fun going around shooting there, shooting here. There is a reason behind it, so give us time. Actually, I have prepared a team dedicated to handle shooting cases, but because these cases seem more frequent, I have added a task force to track down and ensure those involved are arrested," Inspector-General of Police Khalid was quoted as saying by The Malay Mail Online.
In fact, the situation, as per retired IGP Musa Hassan, is so bad that he has reportedly urged PDRM to revive its 'Ops Cantas' operation
"Our country is now like a cowboy country... I hope the police will take stern action. I also hope the police will carry out 'Ops Cantas' involving secret societies."
malaysiakini.com
The latest case of shooting happened on Wednesday, 13 July, at a chicken processing factory in Batu Maung. There, a family of 4 was murdered by their own family member who used an unregistered gun to kill them while they were sleeping in their container home.
It's said that the man was on drugs that he procured illegally
An issue on which PKR MP for Bayan Baru Sim Tze Tzin expressed horror and outrage. He compared the current law & order issue in Malaysia to that of certain places in Thailand and the Philippines and asked, "How could anyone gain access to illegal guns so easily? And how could anyone gain access to illegal drugs so easily?"
Prior to that, on Monday night, 11 July, a 40-year-old businessman from Batu Pahat narrowly escaped a murder attempt on his life when 2 gunmen fired a few shots at him, The Star Online reported
While recent shooting cases may have created a public perception that firearm-related crimes are on the rise, in a manner of statistically speaking, they are, in fact, no different to that in the past years in the country. The police, however, are not taking any chances.
So far, there have been 10 cases of shooting from 15 June
On 15 June, a businessman was shot dead by an unidentified motorcyclist at the Sungai Rasau toll plaza in Selangor, reported The Malay Mail Online.
The 43-year-old was driving to his home in Kajang from Klang and had just passed the toll when he was hit six times from the 10 shots that were fired at him.
Then on 21 June, PKR's Miri branch secretary, Bill Kayong, was gunned down at a traffic junction inside his Toyota in Kuala Baram
The fact that Bill Kayong was a vociferous advocate of social issues and had banked on NCR land issues in the last state election, it led to Malaysian police forming a special task force to investigate his murder.
Following which, on 5 July, after seizing several shotgun bullets with a shotgun believed to have used in the shooting and a used cartridge along with the arrest of 6 suspects, police said that they "believe we have solved the Bill Kayong murder case."
On the same day, 21 June, in a gang-related shooting, another gunman shot two brothers at a traffic light junction near Batu Caves
The men, said to be brothers, were in two separate cars and were shot when they stopped at the traffic lights at Jalan Besar Sunway Batu Caves around 12.10pm.
Police said the elder brother, 34, was shot in the head and is in serious condition, while the younger one, 30, was shot in the ear and cheek.
The Batu Caves gunman was later killed in an encounter with police on 29 June at USJ 11 in Subang Jaya. According to the Selangor Deputy Police Chief, he was involved in 12 robbery cases and 5 drug offences, among others, The Malay Mail Online reported.
A week later, a 40-year-old man was shot 5 times by two unidentified assailants at the KL-Seremban Highway. He survived.
This month's first reported case of shooting happened on 5 July
On Tuesday, 5 July, a 29-year old Bangladeshi staff at a petrol station along Persiaran Mahkota Cheras, was shot by two armed robbers who rode into the petrol station on a motorcycle. The victim suffered injuries to both his thighs.
Same day, around 10pm, an unidentified but a well-built man fired 12 bullets at the house of a 42-year-old divorcee who was inside with her three children. The man fled the scene soon after.
On the next day, 6 July, a mother was fatally shot by two unknown assailants while she was driving in OUG along Jalan Hujan Emas
According to The Star Online, the shots were fired at close range. In the shooting, the victim's eight-year-old daughter was also shot and was in critical condition. She was sitting in the front passenger seat. No arrests have been made so far.
On 9 July, near Ipoh, a 29-year-old man's body was found with a head wound from a gunshot. The man, identified as Khairul Azizan Zaidi, was out on hunting with his friend, The Star Online reported.
Police have remanded two suspects to assist in the investigation. One of the suspects tested positive for drugs, although none of the two have a criminal record.
In total, from 15 June to 13 July, there have been 10 reported cases of shooting, in which 8 people have died (not counting the ones killed in the encounter with police), with 6 injured and 4 unharmed
Back in March this year, Home Minister Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, while submitting a written reply to Nga Kor Ming in the Dewan Rakyat, had said that a total of 89,771 Malaysians have been issued licences to bear arms ranging from rifles to stun guns.
The licences, Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said, were issued as of 31 December last year.
He had praised the police operations under 'Ops Cantas' and close monitoring of border and entry points in Malaysia for helping curb gun-smuggling activities.
However, following the recent shooting-related cases, it was revealed that firearms are being easily smuggled into Malaysia after they are first dismantled into smaller parts in Thailand and then brought inside by different people, according to a senior enforcement officer, with over 20 years of experience manning the border at Bukit Kayu Hitam.
"On this side of the border, the guns are put together again and sold to ready buyers," The Star Online reported the officer as saying. He said it was difficult to detect as the smugglers could be just about anybody from motorists and bus drivers to pedestrians.