by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Penang on Friday, December 4,1992:
Kit Siang commends the Penang Police for its swift and successful action in apprehending the three Indonesian immigrants who had been responsible for a spate of burglaries, including gang-rape, in Penang
The Penang Police is to be highly commended for its swift and successful action in apprehending the three Indonesian immigrants who had been responsible for a spate of armed robberies and crimes, including the gang-rape of a 19-year-old store clerk in her Island Glades home. This is indeed a feather in the cap of the Penang Police.
The Penang DAP had taken a very serious view of the spate of Indonesian immigrant crimes in Penang right from the beginning, and had urged the police authorities to take the strongest possible action to resolve the problem.
Immediately after the heinous crime of the gang-rape of the store clerk in her own house at the end of last month, the Penang DAP served notice to the Penang State Government that it would give top priority to the mounting incidence of crimes in the Penang State committed by Indonesian immigrants, both legal and illegal, which reflect a worrisome deterioration of law and order situation in the state.
In fact, during question time on Monday, I have put down the following oral question to the Chief Minister, Dr. Koh Tsu Koon:
“To ask the Penang Chief Minister whether he is aware that the mounting incidence of crimes in Penang State, and in particular those committed by Indonesian immigrants, whether legal or illegal, reflects a worrisome deterioration in law and order situation, and what action the State Government proposes to take in order to assure the people, investors and tourists the safety of their life, limb and property.”
The people of Penang are very appreciative of the swift and successful action of the Penang police in apprehending the three Indonesian immigrants responsible for the spate of crimes, although two other accomplices of the group are still at large.
However, there is a need for both the Federal and State Government to work out a more effective strategy to improve the law-and-order situation in Penang, as the large presence of the Indonesian immigrants will be s continual threat to the safety of the life, limb and property of the people of Penang.
If this problem is not handled properly, it could even undermine the investment and tourist attraction of Penang, to the detriment of the development of the state.
I hope Dr. Koh Tsu Koon would be able to report to the Penang State Assembly on Monday that the Penang State Government had initiated discussions with the Federal Government and would be able to get a special allocation from the $500 million which the Federal Government would collect in annual levies from the regularisation of Indonesian immigrants to beef up the law-and-order situation in Penang.