Compiled by BEH YUEN HUI, NAN HIDAYAT NAN AZMIE AND R.ARAVINTAN
EVEN loan sharks have rules. A 69-page work code found in the phone of a suspected Ah Long unveiled strict conduct, from dress codes and attendance to bans on gambling and drugs.
China Press reported that the file was discovered by a Malaysia International Humanitarian Organisation activist, who only wanted to be known as Joshua, who picked up a phone after a group of loan sharks fled as he and fellow activists arrived to assist a victim on March 3.
The data appeared so damaging that the phone’s owner allegedly tried to buy it back for RM2mil, but the offer was rejected.
Inside the device were numerous videos showing debt collection activities, as well as the handbook outlining the dos and don’ts, including restrictions on intimidation tactics commonly associated with illegal money lenders. Such tactics include assaulting borrowers, splashing red paint on homes and padlocking their doors.
Attendance is also taken seriously. Anyone found clocking in for others faces a RM1,000 fine.
“They must arrive at work on time and are forbidden from wearing slippers or T-shirts while on duty, or carrying bags that would make them ‘look like Ah Long’,” Joshua told a press conference on Thursday.
Despite the rules, he said the phone was filled with videos and photographs allegedly showing debt collectors splashing red paint on homes and threatening borrowers.
The device has since been handed over to the police.
> Sin Chew Daily reported that Malaysian actress-singer Angelica Lee may be taking part in Sisters Who Make Waves 2026, a popular Chinese reality show.
The television programme, which began in 2020, features female celebrities aged over 30 who compete for a spot in a seven-member girl group.
Its latest season is expected to premiere next month.
According to a name list circulating on social media, Lee, 50, is among the contestants, but her manager refused to comment when asked on her participation.
(The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.)
