Sunday, January 28, 2007

Malaysian authorities are working to wipe out gambling dens that offer
illegal video game and slot machines, a top police official said Wednesday,
underscoring efforts to boost public confidence in the police. Christopher
Wan, the federal criminal investigations police director, has personally led
high-profile raids on unlicensed gambling outlets in recent weeks, cracking
down on one of the most lucrative businesses for Malaysia's criminal
syndicates. "The target is to shut down all outlets by the end of March,"
Wan told The Associated Press. Wan said there are no official estimates of
how many outlets exist, but public tip-offs indicate that operators of
numerous gambling parlors have recently ceased their activities for fear of
being caught in the police clampdown. "We believe there is a domino effect,"
Wan said. "There could have been thousands of outlets at one point, but we
are confident that the number is now falling to a low level." The raids were
motivated by increasing complaints that illegal gambling was causing people
to become addicted to gambling and amass large debts, Wan said, adding that
many outlets also lure children and encourage them to skip school. "The
problem is a social menace because it is breaking up families," Wan said.
Public support for the crackdown has been substantial because it has assured
people that the police force can effectively perform its duties, Wan said.
The image of Malaysia's police has been tainted over the past decade by
allegations of corruption, abuse of power, poor service and delays in
investigating cases. One recent raid led to the seizure of nearly 250
gambling machines from one location that was within walking distance of the
town's police station. Eleven men were arrested, while town officials were
reprimanded for not having closed down the outlet earlier. Gambling is
forbidden for ethnic Malay Muslims, who comprise nearly two-thirds of
Malaysia's population. It is legal for the ethnic Chinese and Indian
minorities, mainly in the forms of lotteries, horse racing and a legal
casino that is hugely popular with ethnic Chinese.