The New Paper
Sunday, Jul 08, 2012
KUALA LUMPUR - An American woman was pushed out of a taxi by the driver who police believe was responsible for a series of robberies involving single female foreigners.
In the latest incident which happened on Monday night in Bangsar, an affluent residential suburb on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, the 46-year-old woman was robbed of RM20,000 (S$8,000) in cash and valuables, the Malay Mail reported.
She also lost important documents kept in her handbag.
This comes after Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said that a well-trained stable of taxi drivers will help shape and improve tourists' perception of Malaysia, The Star reported.
Meanwhile, Brickfields police chief, Assistant Commissioner of Police Wan Abdul Bari Wan Abdul Khalid, said the police arrested a 36-year-old suspect at a parking lot of a supermarket in Pudu, Kuala Lumpur, on Tuesday.
Mr Wan Abdul Bari said police recovered about RM4,000 of the victim's money from the suspect. He added that investigations were underway to establish if the man was involved in other similar reported cases.
The police said the victim, who was not named, had hailed the cab outside Mid Valley Megamall in Kuala Lumpur to go to Jalan Maarof in Bangsar.
On arriving at her destination, she opened the door and was reaching for her bag when the taxi driver allegedly pushed her out of the vehicle and sped off.
He said the victim lodged a report at a nearby police station, giving a description of the suspect and the taxi number plate.
The police said they are not ruling out the possibility that there could be more victims.
Said Mr Wan Abdul Bari: "We wouldn't have been able to arrest the suspect so fast if not for the information provided by the victim. Every bit of information can help us."
Programme
Meanwhile, talking at the launch of the Taxi Tourism Ambassadors programme, Mr Najib said thousands of taxi drivers nationwide interacted with tourists every day, making them an important first point of contact with foreign visitors.
Said Mr Najib: "If taxi drivers are polite, courteous and customer-friendly, speak good things about the country and show a positive attitude, tourists will feel welcomed."
The government aims to train some 4,000 taxi drivers, who will be selected to attend a one-day course at the Malaysian Tourism Centre to learn how to become effective tourism ambassadors, The Star reported.
Last week, Mr Najib announced plans to implement a new model for the taxi industry within two years, that would allow them to get individual permits.
The government will also dole out RM35 million in aid annually, which includes a two-year RM520 tyre subsidy for 67,000 budget, airport and executive taxis and hired cars under the Teksi Rakyat 1Malaysia programme.
Also included under the programme is a RM1 million fund for a personal accident insurance scheme for more than 100,000 taxi drivers nationwide.
Sunday, Jul 08, 2012
KUALA LUMPUR - An American woman was pushed out of a taxi by the driver who police believe was responsible for a series of robberies involving single female foreigners.
In the latest incident which happened on Monday night in Bangsar, an affluent residential suburb on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, the 46-year-old woman was robbed of RM20,000 (S$8,000) in cash and valuables, the Malay Mail reported.
She also lost important documents kept in her handbag.
This comes after Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said that a well-trained stable of taxi drivers will help shape and improve tourists' perception of Malaysia, The Star reported.
Meanwhile, Brickfields police chief, Assistant Commissioner of Police Wan Abdul Bari Wan Abdul Khalid, said the police arrested a 36-year-old suspect at a parking lot of a supermarket in Pudu, Kuala Lumpur, on Tuesday.
Mr Wan Abdul Bari said police recovered about RM4,000 of the victim's money from the suspect. He added that investigations were underway to establish if the man was involved in other similar reported cases.
The police said the victim, who was not named, had hailed the cab outside Mid Valley Megamall in Kuala Lumpur to go to Jalan Maarof in Bangsar.
On arriving at her destination, she opened the door and was reaching for her bag when the taxi driver allegedly pushed her out of the vehicle and sped off.
He said the victim lodged a report at a nearby police station, giving a description of the suspect and the taxi number plate.
The police said they are not ruling out the possibility that there could be more victims.
Said Mr Wan Abdul Bari: "We wouldn't have been able to arrest the suspect so fast if not for the information provided by the victim. Every bit of information can help us."
Programme
Meanwhile, talking at the launch of the Taxi Tourism Ambassadors programme, Mr Najib said thousands of taxi drivers nationwide interacted with tourists every day, making them an important first point of contact with foreign visitors.
Said Mr Najib: "If taxi drivers are polite, courteous and customer-friendly, speak good things about the country and show a positive attitude, tourists will feel welcomed."
The government aims to train some 4,000 taxi drivers, who will be selected to attend a one-day course at the Malaysian Tourism Centre to learn how to become effective tourism ambassadors, The Star reported.
Last week, Mr Najib announced plans to implement a new model for the taxi industry within two years, that would allow them to get individual permits.
The government will also dole out RM35 million in aid annually, which includes a two-year RM520 tyre subsidy for 67,000 budget, airport and executive taxis and hired cars under the Teksi Rakyat 1Malaysia programme.
Also included under the programme is a RM1 million fund for a personal accident insurance scheme for more than 100,000 taxi drivers nationwide.
