'United Nations of Sex' within MPSJ boundaries

[jeffooi]

<font size="+1">'United Nations of Sex' within MPSJ boundaries</font>
Vice dens mushroom in Puchong and Seri Kembangan areas

THE STAR
Thursday, December 12, 2002

Brothels mushrooming in district

A GROUP of women, calling themselves the wives of MCA members, have appealed to Wanita MCA chief Datuk Ng Yen Yen to help rid Seri Kembangan and its vicinity of sleazy joints, which they said gravely threatened the security of family life in the semi-urban district.

In a memorandum bearing their signatures, the 28 women said they were gravely concerned that more so-called “entertainment centres” set up in the area in recent years were turning into brothels, according to the China Press.

They said in the memorandum that women residents, especially housewives, felt uneasy in the neighbourhood as it was now filled with sleazy joints.

They said foreign girls, who included Cambodians, Chinese, Indonesians, Russians, Thais and Vietnamese, were now a common sight in the area.

There were also several cases where men abandoned their families after spending all their money in the joints, according to the daily.

Datuk Yap Pian Hon, the MP of Seri Kembangan, conceded that some unhealthy businesses had taken advantage of the area’s rapid development.

He told the daily that it needed the joint efforts of the police, the Immigration Department and the Petaling Jaya Municipality to resolve the problem.


FULL STORY:
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2002/12/12/focus/sleazy&sec=focus

* * *

JEFF OOI:

The China Press' report, quoted by The Star, contains two
factual errors:

1. Datuk Yap Pian Hon is the MP for Serdang, not Seri kembangan.
2. Seri Kembangan comes under MPSJ and not MPPJ.

The State Assemblymen for Seri Kembangan is Datuk Liew Yuen
Keong, who is also an MPSJ Councillor.

[jeffooi]

STRAITS TIMES Singapore
Thursday, December 12, 2002

<font size="+1">MCA squabble moves from mud-slinging to smut</font>
Veteran MCA leader Yap Pian Hon, also a foe of the party president, is blamed for the proliferation of vice dens in his constituency

By Leslie Lau

THE political mud-slinging between rival factions of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) has now entered the realm of smut and filth.

In the last week, Datuk Yap Pian Hon, a veteran MCA leader but bitter foe of the party president, Dr Ling Liong Sik, has been singled out for blame for the proliferation of illegal vice dens in his parliamentary constituency near here.

Chinese-language websites have been inundated with comments about the 'united nations of sex' referring to the availability of prostitutes from China, Russia, Vietnam and Thailand in Serdang, a predominantly Chinese town just outside the capital.

Yesterday, the attack came out in the open with the publication of a letter on the front page of the mass circulation The China Press, purportedly signed by housewives in Serdang.

The 28 housewives complained that prostitution at a number of budget hotels in the area was ruining families because of the wayward ways of husbands.

Datuk Yap, a leading figure of the Team B faction in the MCA headed by party deputy president Lim Ah Lek, called the Internet campaign and the newspaper story a politically motivated attack.

'This is an attack against me and to discredit Team B,' he told The Straits Times.

The China Press, the second most widely circulated Chinese newspaper in the country, is owned by the MCA.

Team B leaders have accused Dr Ling's Team A faction of using it as a means to attack political opponents, a charge that has been flatly denied.

The two rival factions in the MCA have not been trading hostilities for some months now under a peace plan initiated by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

Dr Mahathir, who was concerned about the impact of any political fallout on the Barisan Nasional government, had ordered the two factions to hold off on party elections and to work together for the sake of the coalition, at least until the next general election.

But a mammoth gathering of 26,000 people at a dinner last week in support of Datuk Lim and other Team B leaders have signaled a resumption of hostilities.

Yesterday's newspaper article did not link Datuk Yap with vice activities, but a number of postings on the popular Chinese-language website <a href="http://oldkopitiam.com"target="new">oldkopitiam.com </a> over the past week have accused him of having interests in prostitution.

A price list of services was also published on the website, detailing the cost of hiring prostitutes from different countries at two budget hotels in the area.

In The China Press story, the 28 housewives made an appeal to the MCA Women's Wing chief, Datuk Ng Yen Yen, who is aligned to Dr Ling's Team A, to intercede in the controversy and help save families in the area.

But Datuk Ng told The Straits Times yesterday that she had not received any complaints directly and was not aware of any political motivation in the issue.

Some other Team A leaders contacted by The Straits Times also denied any involvement in the issue.

Datuk Yap, a former party vice-president, is a two-term Member of Parliament. Before that, he served five terms in the state legislative assembly.

He is considered to be a key grassroots leader who has a crucial role in garnering support for the Team B faction in their struggle with the party president.


SOURCE:
http://www.straitstimes.com.sg/asia/story/0,4386,160230-1039730340,00.html?

[jeffooi]

NEW STRAITS TIMES
Friday, december 13, 2002

<font size="+1">Yap turns tables on his accusers</font>
Chow Kum Hor

KUALA LUMPUR, Thurs. — As sleazy accusations in the MCA Team A-Team B rivalry continue, Serdang MP Datuk Yap Pian Hon is turning the tables on those accusing him of being behind a prostitution syndicate in his constituency.

Backing him is the Serdang Wanita MCA division which will put up an advertisement in a Chinese daily asking the 28 women, who made the accusation in an open letter, to own up within seven days, failing which their claims would be deemed untrue.

Yap, who is also the division's MCA chief, said the advertisement would appear in the daily which front-paged a report about the 28 signatories — purportedly wives of Serdang MCA members — who complained that their husbands frequented brothels in Serdang, The letter was purportedly sent to Wanita MCA head Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen who is also Deputy Culture, Arts and Tourism Minister.

Describing the move as politically motivated, Yap said he was unperturbed by the accusations.

"It is a smear campaign to tarnish my reputation and Team B. Before this, there were already postings on websites claiming that Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Norian Mai is the head of the syndicate with me and Seri Kembangan Assemblyman Datuk Liew Yuen Keong as directors," said Yap. Yap, a former vice-president, is a key leader in the dissenting Team B faction with Liew as his ally.

A two-term MP and former five-term State Assemblyman, Yap said none of the Wanita members in his division recognised the names of the 28 who signed the letter. Mud-slinging in MCA has taken on unconventional forms following intense rivalry between the two factions.


FULL STORY:
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Friday/National/20021213075058/Article/

[edteam]

THE MALAY MAIL
Friday, December 13, 2002

<font size="+1">Yap in vice 'trap' reports</font>
Eddie Chua

“I AM no pimp. I don’t live on sin money,” said Serdang Member of Parliament Datuk Yap Pian Hon.

“Ask any of the Serdang folks and they know who I am. Even the children. How can I be responsible for vice activities here?”

On the Internet, Yap, several politicians aligned to him and some police officers, have been accused of being linked to vice rings in the Serdang township.

Yap, however, thinks that the Internet campaign is meant to smear his name and those of his subordinates.

“I believe this was done deliberately by my rivals to tarnish our image and reputation,” he said.

Yap, who is a strong Team B supporter in the MCA, questioned why Serdang was singled out in the Chinese-based forum on the Internet.

The Internet posting accused Yap and Seri Kembangaan State Assemblyman Datuk Liew Yuen Keong, who is also a Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) councillor, of being involved in vice activities in the township.

“There are many other places where vice activities are thriving. Why are Liew, the Serdang township and I being singled out and highlighted and not the others?

...Yap, in the past week, has been fingered in the Internet forum, for proliferation of illegal vice dens in Serdang.

...But the last straw for Yap was the news report which was accompanied by a letter signed by 28 housewives in the China Press news daily’s front page on Wednesday.

The letter claimed that prostitution in the township had ruined family lives.

The housewives, all of whom are also from Serdang, appealed to Wanita MCA chief Datuk Ng Yen Yen to intervene in the controversy and help save their families.

<img src="http://www.malaysiakini.com/imagebank/storyimages/121202%20mca%20ads02.jpg" align="left"> Although the news report or the letter did not pinpoint Yap, the Serdang Wanita MCA also got all riled up.

They reacted by taking up an advertisement in the China Press newspaper.

They now want to contact the 28 housewives to verify whether they had written the letter, as they think the protest note on the vice activities in Serdang was a fake.

...He also urged the police and local authorities to investigate the claims.

“This is serious. They should do something,” he said.

FULL STORY:
http://www.mmail.com.my/Current_News/MM/Friday/Frontpage/20021206113807

[edteam]

THE MALAY MAIL
Saturday, December 14, 2002

<font size="+1">Joint moves to curb vice</font>
Eddie Chua


...About 100 of them will meet at the Serdang MCA office to find a solution to the problem in Serdang.

The meeting was organised by the Serdang Women Association, Seri Kembangaan Safety and Security Committee (JKKK) and the MCA Service Centre.

<img src="http://www.chinapress.com.my/data/2002-12-15/malaysia/1215pmb10.jpg" align="left"> Serdang Member of Parliament Datuk Yap Pian Hon and Seri Kembangan State Assemblyman Datuk Liew Yuen Keong who were invited to the meeting, pledged to find ways to tackle the problem.

"We will first assess how bad the situation is, and how it has affected the Serdang community as a whole," said Yap.

"We will then discuss ways on how the community can help curb the immoral activities." Yesterday, The Malay Mail reported that Serdang had been singled out on the Internet as a "sin town".

Yap and Liew, who is also Subang Jaya Municipal Council councillor, have even been accused of being linked to the vice rings.

Yap, a strong supporter of the Team B faction in the MCA, has denied the allegation, dismissing it as a smear campaign.


FULL STORY:
http://www.mmail.com.my/Current_News/MM/Saturday/National/20021214102632

[edteam]

NEW SUNDAY TIMES
Sunday, December 15, 2002

Probe open letter on vice. Wanita MCA told

KUALA LUMPUR, Sat. - Thirty non-governmental organisations based in Serdang want Wanita MCA head Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen to investigate the open letter linking the constituency's MP, Datuk Yap Pian Hon, to a prostitution syndicate.

This was among the four resolutions unanimously adopted by the 70-odd people who attended the session following the circulation of the letter, purported from 28 women married to Serdang MCA members.

The signatories claimed their husbands had frequented brothels in the constituency and this resulted in marital problems.

Other resolutions adopted are:
The police, Immigration Department and the Subang Jaya Municipal Council had failed to effectively enforce regulations to curb such vice activities;
Urge Serdang constituents to immediately report vice activities to the relevant authorities;
Urge residents in the area to remain united and co-operative to rid the constituency of vice activities; and
Support Yap and Seri Kembangan Assemblyman Datuk Liew Yuen Keong to clean up the remnants of vice activities in the constituency.

[edteam]

MALAYSIAKINI.COM
9:04pm Sun Dec 15th, 2002

<FONT SIZE="+1">MCA women apologise, Serdang MP vindicated</FONT>
Susan Loone

In a dramatic twist, the 28 MCA women who wrote a letter to party Wanita leader Dr Ng Yen Yen insinuating that Serdang member of Parliament Yap Pian Hon was involved in vice activities, had apologised to the MP.

Yap told malaysiakini today that the women, who are supposedly Serdang MCA members, had faxed the letter to the Chinese press, in response to Yap's advertisements in the papers calling on them to come forward. Yap said he had obtained a copy of the letter from the press.

He said the letter, which bore the same names as the previous letter and did not carry any signature, claimed that due to Yap's 'adequate' action in responding to the problem, their families have been reconciled.

According to Yap, the women denied their action was "politically motivated" and clarified that they had sent the letter to Ng as she was the MCA Wanita chief. Besides the apology, they also called for the matter to be closed.

Yap questioned why there was no signature attached to the letter if it was a genuine case.

He also queried why the letter was not sent to Family Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil since it was a women's issue.

Fast response

"This latest development raises many questions as to the authenticity of the letter. The response to our advertisement was surprisingly fast," Yap said.

"Also, it is amazing that the families of the 28 women can reconcile so quickly when the problem was deemed very serious in the first place," he quipped.


FULL STORY:
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/200212150018580.php

[jeffooi]

THE SUNDAY STAR
Sunday, December 22, 2002

Khir Toyo orders Selangor cleaned of vice
By ELAN PERUMAL

SHAH ALAM: Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Khir Toyo has told local authorities to keep Selangor vice-free.

The order has come in the wake of increasing reports of prostitution involving foreigners who are said to be operating in places such as massage parlours, spas, karaoke lounges and pubs.

State executive councillor Datuk Mokhtar Dahalan said the mentri besar was disturbed over numerous news reports on the mushrooming of vice dens in the state, some of which were also being used for strip tease acts and “tiger” shows,

All local authorities have been given the order to clean their areas off every sort of vice, he told reporters at his residence here yesterday.

Present at the press conference was Selangor Deputy Police Chief Datuk Fauzi Saari.

Mokhtar, who is the state housing and local government committee chairman, said the mentri besar was very concerned over the presence of a large number of Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Indonesian and European women at these joints who were believed to be involved in the flesh trade.

...Mokthar said Petaling Jaya, Subang Jaya, Ampang Jaya, Selayang, Kajang, Puchong and Klang had been identified as the target areas of such operations.

...“We are confident that Selangor will be free from vice three months from now.”


FULL STORY:
http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2002/12/22/nation/klgvice&sec=nation

[jeffooi]

UTUSAN ONLINE
Friday, December 27, 2002

<font size="+1">Serdang MP lodges police report over letter</font>

PETALING JAYA Dec 26 - Serdang Member of Parliament Datuk Yap Pian Hon has lodged a police report concerning three open letters and scores of articles which alleged that he and several other Serdang MCA leaders were involved in masterminding a prostitution syndicate in the district.

Yap described the open letters, which were sent to all Chinese newspapers and the articles carried on a Chinese language website, as politically motivated and had tarnished the integrity of Serdang MCA division leaders.

"The allegations published on the website are totally unfounded. As local leaders, we certainly oppose any activity pertaining to prostitution in our area," he told reporters after making a police report at the District Police Headquarters, here today.

State Assemblyman for Seri Kembangan Datuk Liew Yuen Keong and Serdang MCA Wanita head Chin Ah Yim were also present to lodge similar reports.

Yap said the allegations in the articles and letters were very serious as they also dragged several senior police officers including the Inspector-General of Police and his deputy as collaborating with the Serdang MCA leaders.

He said the open letters were sent by 28 women who claimed their families were broken up as a result of the rampant prostitution in the district.

Yap said the three open letters, which were sent to all Chinese newspapers and were not signed, only contained the names with the dates Dec 10, 14 and 23, and were published by local Chinese-language newspapers.

He said the website (www.Oldkopitiam.com), active since last month, contained between 20 and 30 articles which also criticised the police and Serdang MCA leaders.

Yap said he had to lodge the police report to investigate the masterminds involved in the case and clean the image of the police and MCA leaders as the allegations were slanderous.


SOURCE:
http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/content.asp?y=2002&dt=1227&pub=Utusan_Express&sec=Home_News&pg=hn_05.htm

[jeffooi]

THE MALAY MAIL
Friday, December 27, 2002

<font size="+1">Serdang MP’s alleged sex trade rumours :
Editors to give their statements</font>
Timothy Leonard


EDITORS of several Chinese dailies are expected to give their statements to police on the sex trade rumours published in their newspapers allegedly involving Serdang MP Datuk Yap Pian Hon.

A Petaling Jaya CID official confirmed that the newspaper editors will be called up to provide information on how they got hold of the Internet reports and the alleged claims made by some 28 housewives that Yap was behind the prostitution problems in Serdang and Puchong.

“We will be calling up the respective editors to ascertain how the reports could have surfaced and the sources behind the allegations,” said the official yesterday.

He said police viewed the allegations as serious, especially as they involved a politician and his party.

“No stone will be left unturned in our investigations into it,” he said.


FULL STORY:
http://www.mmail.com.my/Current_News/MM/Friday/National/20021227104544

[jeffooi]

THE MALAY MAIL
Saturday, December 28, 2002

Alleged Sex Trade Rumours in Serdang:
<font size="+1">Cops yet to record editors’ statements</font>
Chow Ee-Tan

THE editors of several Chinese dailies have yet to be called by the police to have their statements recorded over reports about the alleged sex trade rumours in Serdang.

While they are prepared to give their statements to the police, the editors defended their move in reporting the news.

“We did not sensationalise the issue. It was just basic reporting,” said Nanyang Siang Pau executive editor Chan Aun Kuan. “We gave a balanced coverage as we also got the reaction of the politicians allegedly involved.”

Chan said unfortunately, they could not locate the sender or the source where the faxes originated as the faxes did not come with a contact number or letterhead.

“I believe that all newspapers would have taken a similar course of action when they receive letters which have news value,” he said.

“But we did not point our fingers at anyone nor print anything that is libellous,” he said, adding that he believed that Serdang MP Datuk Yap Pian Hon had lodged a police report not against the media but the person behind the faxes.

A spokesman from Sin Chew Daily’s News Desk said he knew that the police would be calling newspaper editors for a statement soon.

He said the newspaper treated the issue as a regular piece of news.

“This type of news is quite common and nothing new. And we are very careful when handling such news,” he said, adding that the paper had tried its best to verify the source of the news but to no avail.

China Press editor-in-chief Chong Choong Nan said the newspaper had given some information to Yap who requested for it after the reports were published.

He said one should not speculate more and just leave it to the police to investigate.

Although he admitted that newspapers should be careful when dealing with such ‘anonymous letters’, he said vice activities occur everywhere.

“It is a reflection of the social ills in today’s society. Perhaps this ‘exposure’ could be a good thing as it will help clean up such activities.”

Meanwhile, a spokesman from the paper’s news desk said they had indicated in their report that the identities of the senders were unclear.

“But we know that there was some truth to it as such vice activities happen in Serdang as well as other places.”

Guang Ming Daily news editor Tneh Khim Liang said the newspaper reported the news from a human interest and community-based angle.

“When we receive information from unnamed sources, we have a meeting and then verify the content with the local people to confirm whether it was true,” he said.

“In our report, we didn’t accuse anyone so it was not libellous,” he said.

The anonymous letters were faxed to all Chinese national dailies, namely, Nanyang Siang Pau, Sin Chew Daily, China Press, Guang Ming Daily and the Penang-based Kwong Wah Jit Poh.


SOURCE:
http://www.mmail.com.my/Current_News/MM/Saturday/National/20021228091439