AN e-hailing driver sustained injuries to his neck, left eye, and back after he was allegedly assaulted by three male passengers believed to be foreigners in an incident at Jalan Satria 2, Taman Sri Yaacob, Skudai, on Tuesday night.
The victim, 56-year-old Goh Kong Meng, said the incident occurred at around 9.20 pm following a dispute with the passengers.
The situation reportedly escalated after he advised them to keep their noise levels down, with the group allegedly reacting aggressively.
The passengers were believed to be intoxicated at the time of the incident.
Goh was subsequently attacked, suffering blows to his face and body.
A nine-second video clip capturing part of the incident later surfaced on Facebook, where it quickly went viral.
The victim later recounted the ordeal to Johor Gig Economy Association (PEGJ) treasurer Jaferi Hisham and state Health and Environment Committee chairman Ling Tian Soon, who visited him and extended financial assistance earlier today.
According to Jaferi, Goh sought treatment at Hospital Sultanah Aminah before lodging a police report for further action.
“This visit is a show of solidarity and concern for the victim and his family. It also allows PEGJ and the state government to better understand the risks and safety challenges faced by gig economy workers,” he said in a statement.
He stressed that greater attention must be given to the safety of gig workers, who are often on the frontlines interacting with the public daily.
The incident serves as a stark reminder that the safety of e-hailing drivers cannot be taken lightly and requires collective responsibility to ensure they can work in a secure environment.
PEGJ also reiterated that any form of violence, intimidation, or assault against drivers and delivery workers while on duty must not be tolerated.
“Every gig worker has the right to carry out their job in a safe, secure environment free from threats that could jeopardise their safety and livelihood,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, Iskandar Puteri District Police Chief, Assistant Commissioner M Kumarasan, said police had detected a nine-second viral video recording related to the incident, which was uploaded via the Facebook application.
According to him, the police also received a report from the victim on June 10 at about 11.09 am.
"Initial investigations found that on June 9 at about 9.30 pm, the victim picked up three male passengers who were believed to be foreigners.
"While on the way, the victim reprimanded the three passengers for being believed to be drunk and making noise in the vehicle.
"However, the suspect is believed to be dissatisfied with the reprimand before acting to injure the victim," he said.
He said the incident reportedly occurred in the Taman Tan Sri Yaakob area, Skudai and the police are now actively tracking down the three suspects who are still at large.
He said the case is being investigated under Section 323 of the Penal Code for intentionally causing injury and Section 506 of the Penal Code for criminal intimidation. – June 12, 2026
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