Be more socially responsible in fighting crimes: Dr. Yee
Wednesday, 23 April 2003 (Source: Sabah Times)

KOTA KINABALU: The city folks have been urged to be more socially responsible in fighting crimes.

Api-Api Assemblyman Dr Yee Moh Chai made the call yesterday after attending the funeral of 12-year-old SRJK Anglo Chinese, Penampang student, Adrian Wong Kia Chun who was stabbed to death by his assailants, last Saturday.

The tragic incident took place near the crowded area of the Segama Complex in the broad daylight, at around 3.20pm.

Yee expressed his regret that despite the victim’s desperate cries for help, nobody came to his rescue, thus allowing his assailants to stab him to death.

“I was made to understand that the boy (the deceased) was crying for help but no one stopped to help. It’s shameful and heartbreaking to learn that no one seemed to bother in times of need. What has gone wrong with our society?” he asked.

During the visit, the boy’s father said that the deceased was his favourite child among his three siblings.

Yee who is also the MP for Tanjung Aru believed that such incident could have been avoided had the public been more socially responsible.

“I believe if someone among members of the public had made their presence felt at that time, perhaps the assailants might have fled the scene thus saving the boy’s life.

“In a situation like that, it is only right that we reach out and help the person who is being victimised, as the same incident might also happen to us one day… we can never tell,” he said.

Meanwhile, Yee revealed that the police had told him earlier that they had arrested two of the three suspects suspected to be involved in the incident.

He thus urged the police to spare no effort in bringing justice to the deceased and his family.

Meanwhile, the Sabah MCA urged the police to deploy more plainclothes personnel to patrol crime prone areas of the sate capital as a preventive measure towards such incidents.

In deploring the killing of the 12-year-old boy, its Youth secretary Michael Lui Yen Sang said the incident was a cause of concern among city folk.

“The fact that Wong was fatally stabbed in broad day light and in a busy commercial area of Kota Kinabalu is a worry,” Lui said.

He said the tragic incident in which no one came to Adrian’s aid despite his cries for help was also an indication of the level of public apathy in the city.

“Shopowners and business operators should not be preoccupied with what is happening within their premises only,” Lui said.

Lui said he was shocked to learn that no one came to help Adrian after he was stabbed by three assailants but just left him to bleed until the police came.

Complementing Kota Kinabalu City police for their fast action in detaining two suspects within 48 hours after the tragedy, Lui urged the police to step up their effort to nab the third suspect who is still at large.