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Police and MCA leadership should publicly apologise to “Jackie Chan”, revoke both the arrest warrant and police national and Interpol manhunt  as well as  MCA suspension of membership if Liong Sik is right that “police had no proof” against the alleged kingpin of Sio Sam Ong triad Speech -  Perak DAP forum on “The lesson from Canny Ong case: Reduce Crime and the Fear of Crime” by Lim Kit Siang (Ipoh,  Sunday): Bernama Online today carried a report of a statement by former MCA President and Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Ling Liong Sik which has direct relevance to the subject of tonight’s forum on the double rise of the crime rate and the fear of crime.  The Bernama Online report entitled “Don’t Reject Rehabilitated Criminals, Says Dr Ling” reads:   KUALA LUMPUR, July 27 (Bernama) -- Political parties should not reject rehabilitated criminals when they return to the society, former MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Ling Liong Sik said on Sunday. He said former criminals who had turned over a new leaf should be accepted, just like other unfortunate people such as the disabled and those with HIV. "I hope people realise that one swallow doesn't make a summer. But even if there are more than one swallow it doesn't really matter if they have been rehabilitated. Come back to society, then the political party has no business to reject them. In fact we should help them," he told reporters after opening the Gerakan Belia Bersatu Malaysia's (GBBM) 27th annual general meeting, here. Dr Ling, who is now MCA honorary life president, was asked to comment on a recent case involving suspended MCA branch chief Ong King Ee, who is on the police wanted list, for alleged links with the Sio Sam Ong triad. He said that according to the police, they had no proof in the case apart from a restriction order from which Ong had been released. "Don't condemn him for what he had done when he was 18 years old. Now he's 36 years old, he is a party leader and contributing back to the society," he said.   I agree with Liong Sik on the first three paragraphs of the Bernama report on the general principle that rehabilitated criminals should be given a chance to return and be accepted as a useful member of society, although there is a lot of loose thinking by the former MCA President like the inappropriate reference to HIV victims.   But what is most problematic about Liong Sik’s statement is the fifth paragraph where he asserted that “the police had no proof in the case apart from a restriction order from which Ong had been released” and his categorical judgment: “Don’t condemn him for what he had done when he was 18 years old. Now he is 36 years old, he is a party leader and contributing back to the society.”   The Malaysian public have no way of knowing about the background or antecedents of Ong King Ee aka Jackie Chan apart from what they learn from the police through the media.   For instance, MCA’s Star of 17th July 2003 in its report on the police nation-wide and Interpol alert and manhunt for Jackie Chan headlined “Cops seek Penang triad leader trying to revive gang” said:   “Penang: Police are looking for the leader of the notorious Sio Sam Ong (Three Little Emperors) triad who is said to be actively trying to revive the gang on the island.   “State CID chief Senior Asst Comm II Abdul Rahim Jani said the gang had been involved in international drug trafficking, kidnap, murder, robbery, extortion and illegal money-lending at its height.   “The 37-year-old triad leader, nicknamed ‘Jackie Chan’ was sent to the Simpang Renggam Rehabilitation Centre in Muar shortly after his arrest in Bangkok with three of his henchmen in May 1993. He was released about three years ago.   “Our investigations showed that after his release, he began rounding up his strongmen, who had been released earlier from the same centre, with the hope of reviving the triad (which) had been ‘quiet’ since the mid-90s,’ SAC Abdul Rahim said.   “He said the police had obtained an order under the Emergency Ordinance to arrest ‘Jacky Chan’, who is from Kulim.   “We are also looking for several of his ‘grass sandals’ (a term to denote very high ranking members) and ‘tiger generals’ who had also gone into hiding three months ago. They are believed to be somewhere in the country,’ he added.   “The triad was said to be behind the slaying of six people in Taman Bersatu, Sungai Petani, in September 1992. The members were also involved in at least 10 murders in the state in the late 80s and early 90s.   “The skeletal remains of five men, who were murdered for betraying the gang, wee exhumed from unmarked graves 11 years ago in Mount Erskine here. Most of the recovered remains had their hands tied behind their backs.   “An examination by forensic pathologist Dr Bhupinder Singh had showed that the five were stabbed and bludgeoned prior to being buried, and that they could have been buried alive.”   If Liong Sik is right that the police had “no proof” against Jackie Chan except for a “restriction order” from which he had been released, then the police had done a great injustice to Jackie Chan in feeding the media (including MCA’s Star)  with all the information linking him with  international drug trafficking, kidnap, murder, robbery, extortion, illegal money-lending, the brutal pre-wedding slaying of six people in Sungai Petani and the murder of five triad gang members, probably “buried alive”, in Penang 11 years ago.   This is particularly the case as Liong Sik said that Jackie Chan should not be “condemned” for what he had done when he was 18 years old, when he is now 36 years old and a “party leader…contributing back to society”.   It would be 1985 18 years ago when Jackie Chan was 18 years old, many years before the heinous crimes the police has associated with Jackie Chan and Sio Sam  Ong, whether the  Sungai Petani slayings in 1992, the murder of the five Sio Sam Long gang “traitors” in Penang in 1992 (11 years ago), or international drug trafficking, kidnap, murder, robbery, extortion and illegal money-lending.   The police should publicly apologise to Jackie Chan and revoke the Emergency Ordinance arrest warrant and the nation-wide and Interpol alert and manhunt for him if Liong Sik is right that “police had no proof” against the alleged kingpin of Sio Sam Ong.   In fact, on the same basis, the MCA President, Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting and the  MCA Presidential Council should publicly apologise to Jackie Chan for suspending his MCA membership when “police had no proof” against Jackie Chan and revoke the suspension of his MCA membership – and all talk about accepting Jackie Chan’s “faxed” resignation letter from MCA  with alacrity should stop as Liong Sik’s call that no political party has any business to reject a rehabilitated criminal from continuing as a party leader should be heeded by the MCA leaders who had only held a Salutation Ceremony a day earlier to pay him tribute as the greatest leader in the 54-year history of MCA!   In fact, all the print and electronic media which had published police accounts about Jackie Chan’s links with Sio Sam Ong and all the heinous crimes committed by the triad  in the past should also apologise to Jackie Chan for defaming his good name and reputation when the police had no proof.   The police, the MCA leadership and all the mass media should also compensate Jackie Chan for damage to his reputation if Liong Sik is right that “police had no proof” against the alleged kingpin of Sio Sam Ong triad.  In fact, Ka Ting should even seriously consider moving a motion in Parliament in September to rehabilitate the reputation of Jackie Chan!   (27/7/2003) * Lim Kit Siang, DAP National Chairman