SIBU: The police have been told to take action against gangsterism in Julau and Pakan before the areas turn into the "Wild West."
Julau MP Larry Sng (pic), in a Facebook post Thursday (Feb 15), said local gangsters have been making life miserable for the people with their illegal activities.
"As I was making my rounds visiting the Chinese community in Julau who were celebrating the Lunar New Year, I came across some local gangsters who were obviously looking to cause trouble.
"Despite not being injured during the incident, it has since come to my attention how quickly the once peaceful rural town now resembles that of one in the Wild West," he said.
According to Sng, over the course of a year, the introduction of online gaming has carved up Sarawak’s cities and towns into various districts controlled by gangsters from different groups.
"In Julau, apart from online gambling, their illicit activities have expanded to selling drugs, contraband (cigarettes and liquor) and even illegal money lending.
"They have forced the local coffee shops to buy their contraband in Pakan and Julau and have squeezed the profit margins from the shopkeepers.
"Those who resisted were threatened. In one instance some months ago, drugs were sold in public in Julau town to demonstrate that they were untouchable," he said.
He was also informed that some public servants and tuai rumah (longhouse chieftains) had gone into debt and were desperate to sell their lands and borrow money to repay these gangsters who are charging them exorbitant interest rates.
"The latest incident is clearly a display of stupidity and arrogance on the part of these people. If their activities continue in such a brazen manner, Bukit Aman will need to come down hard on them. This is a total disregard of law and order and such matters must not be taken lightly," he said.
