Father disowns gambling-addicted, debt-ridden son

KUALA LUMPUR: A 67-year-old man had to disown his son due to his gambling addiction and substantial debts.

Retiree Wong Yock Sang said his 35-year-old son was a chronic gambler who borrowed from loan sharks to fund his lifestyle.

"I exhausted my life savings to settle his RM240,000 debt in 2019 because he promised to change his ways.

"I even had to find work as a ehailing driver as my savings are gone," he told a press conference organised by MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong at Wisma MCA on Thursday (June 6).

Wong said that shortly after the debts were paid, his son went to a rehab centre for gamblers and appeared to turn over a new leaf.

"However, on June 2, I discovered that someone had posted a photo of my wife and me on Facebook, with the caption ‘wanted’.

"I also received a call from my other son, telling me that an ah long contacted him, saying his brother had a RM12,000 debt with them. The ah long threatened to hire a gang to come after us if the debt is not settled," he said.

Wong said another, ah long sent him a WhatsApp message, saying the same son owed them RM1,200.

"Honestly, I don't know how many ah longs he owed money to.

"It is tough to sever my relationship with my son. It breaks my heart, but I had to do it," he said, adding that he has since lodged a police report on the threats.

In another case, single mother Chai Siew Won, 34, had to leave in fear due to her ex-husband's debt.

"We were divorced in 2022 after about 10 years of marriage due to his drug habit and family neglect.

"Ah longs started harassing us in April this year, saying my ex-husband owed them more than RM5,000.

"Even after I explained that I was no longer married to him, the ah longs refused to accept it and threatened to harm me and my two daughters," she said.

She said the ah long even left letters stating her ex-husband's loan in her mailbox and that of her neighbours.

"I have lodged a police report on the matter," she said.

Meanwhile, Chong said he has dealt with about 140 ah long cases for over 30 years involving RM10.8mil in losses.

"We received 38 cases just in March. When they could not target the debtors, they would go after the debtor’s family members.

"Last time, they used to use paint or diesel, but now they would print out information of debtors and spread it to those who know him," he said.