Four men arrested for threatening MP over RM5 ang pow

POLICE at Julau district in central Sarawak have arrested four men who allegedly threatened Datuk Larry Sng, the MP for Julau, after he gave each of them ang pow envelopes with only RM5 inside.

The incident allegedly happened during a Chinese New Year gathering on Monday.

Sng lodged a police report soon after the event, said Julau police chief Deputy Superintendent Andam Sulin today.

"We have arrested four men aged between 32 to 53 following the report lodged by the complainant on February 12 at around 6pm.

"According to his report, the men had threatened him and his workers," Andam said. "They were said to have acted provocatively and threateningly over the RM5 ang pow they got from him."

The case is being probed under Section 506 of the Penal.Code for criminal intimidation.

"We will not tolerate use of violent behaviour under any circumstances," Andam said.

In a Facebook post, Sng said that he had packed the RM5 ang pows with the intention of giving to small children. He said the packets were not meant for adults.

He recounted that he came across the gangsters at an open house at 12.30pm when they asked for the ang pows.

"I told them that it was small money but since they insisted I would give it to them for luck," he recounted.

"After 20 minutes, the head of the gang returned an ang pow and stuffed RM20 in it.

"At 5pm as I was leaving the Pakan district officer’s house, four gangsters who included their head surrounded me and said the amount was too small."

Sng said that the head had informed someone in his entourage that they had prepared weapons in their car and were planning to attack him.

"For my personal safety and for those around me, I went straight to the police station to lodge a report," he said.

Sng added that their behaviour may have been due to a grudge from before.

He said that he was aware that their head had previously supported another candidate during the election and lost big money in gambling when he bet on Sng losing the last general election.

"It may have started from there," Sng said. 

He also alleged that in a separate incident on May 12, 2023, the same gangster had used his fist to hit the front bonnet of Sng's car at an evening function organised by a youth club.

"Two days later my car was stolen. I was not present at the function and no police report was lodged then," he said.

Sng, 45, is presently president of Parti Bangsa Malaysia and was formerly the chairman of Sarawak PKR.

He quit PKR in February 2021 to become a government-friendly independent politician. The government then was helmed by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin of Bersatu. 

Jailed over fatal hammer attack

In a separate incident, a Filipino labourer was sentenced to 33 years jail and handed 12 strokes of the rotan by the Tawau High Court after he was found guilty of murdering his 16-year-old friend in Semporna three years ago.

The court had heard that Albaris Alunyo Iran, 24, had hit the victim, whose name was Hassan Dorol, with a hammer.

In handing down the sentence, Justice Datuk Dr Lim Hock Leng said that Hassan had died as a result of the injuries inflicted on him by the accused. 

The accused did so with the intention of causing harm that can cause death, Lim was quoted as saying by Bernama.

There was direct eyewitness testimony that Hassan had also sustained head injuries inflicted by the accused with a hammer.

"The accused's guilt can be inferred from his conduct post-attack when he fled with hammer and a machete, before he was apprehended by some villagers,” he said.

According to the charge framed under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which deals with murder, Albaris was accused of killing Hassan in a house at Kampung Kuala Benang, Semporna between 10.30am and 11am on February 26, 2021. – The Vibes, February 16, 2024