before Darren Ng gang fighting 369 were already rampage in SPORE

[Ilovelamb]

Nov 16, 2010
Beaten up by a gang, he can't do the sport he loves
By Kimberly Spykerman

POLYTECHNIC student Clarence Tang was a sportsman, representing his school in wakeboarding and turning up without fail for practice sessions twice a week.

But he can no longer do the sport he loves because of two titanium plates in his jaws, and a broken finger which cannot bend properly.

Clarence's injuries are a painful reminder of a gang-related attack which happened a month ago.

Recounting the attack to The Straits Times, the 18-year-old student from Temasek Polytechnic said he was approached by a group of 10 men at the stairwell of the Soprano Club in Sophia Road while he was leaving.

They shouted at him, and demanded to know if he was from a gang. 'I kept saying sorry to them, and telling them that I was not in any gang... and then all I could remember was them hitting me,' he said.

The attack was vicious. Not only did they punch and kick him, they even used a chair and wooden pole on him.

His three friends could only stand by and watch helplessly. They were unharmed.

The attackers ran away when the pub's bouncers arrived at the scene, alerted by the commotion.

Said his friend, who declined to be named: 'There was so much blood everywhere.'

After the attack, Clarence's face was swollen, and both eyes bruised shut, said his parents.

There were red footprint marks on his face, his cheekbone was fractured, and he suffered a cut at the back of his head which required stitches.

Because of his broken jaw, he could not speak for two weeks.

Although the attack took place weeks before the recent gang-related incidents at Downtown East and Bukit Panjang, Clarence's parents have been worried sick.

After all, their son's assailants have not been nabbed. The police said they are still investigating the incident. Last week, Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam assured the public that police would continue their blitz to net suspected gang members.

Said Clarence's father, Mr Richard Tang: 'What if that gang who attacked my son recognises him and attacks him again? They are still out there... I'm very hurt by what happened to my son and there is no closure for us.'

Clarence said he did not recognise anyone in the group that attacked him. He only recalled seeing them in the pub, as they had been quite rowdy.

For now, he is focusing on making a full recovery so that he can go back to the sport he loves.

It is likely to be six months before he can wakeboard again for fear of dislocating the plates in his jaw. He also cannot grip well because of his broken finger.

He said: 'I just want all these people to be taken down by the police.'

 

[Ilovelamb]

Re: before Darren Ng gang fighting were already rampage in SPORE

Bt Panjang victim still reliving trauma
Parang attack leaves him gesturing in distress and shielding himself in his sleep
By Jalelah Abu Baker

AS THE authorities crack down on youth gangs in Singapore, the state of one victim remains a big reminder of the kind of damage they can cause.

Mr Jayasiva Shangar Guru, 20, an apparently innocent victim in last week's Bukit Panjang parang slashings, will not be able to walk for the next three months.

His legs are in a plaster cast from the knees down, and the assistant technician is facing weeks of physiotherapy.

A constant stream of visitors has buoyed his spirits. He is looking forward to going back to soccer and the gym.

'All this is only for the time being,' he told The Straits Times with a grin.

But despite his strength of spirit, he appears to be reliving the trauma when he is asleep - his gestures show distress, like he is shielding himself from someone, said his sister, who asked to be known only as Many K.

Taking a shower is also torture for him, said his mother Madam A. S. Devi, 51, who was saddened to see him in pain.

Wracked by pain from a stiff shoulder, she is worried about how she will take care of him when he gets out of hospital.

'I can't take care of him alone. Even to shower him, it takes three nurses,' she said.

And then there are the hospital bills. Already, the cost of his eight-day stay has hit $3,000.

Mr Jayasiva was set to move to West Point Hospital for convalescence and physiotherapy yesterday. After a week there, he will be transferred to a community hospital, where he can get the care his mother cannot provide on her own.

'I hope he will be a little more independent after physiotherapy,' she said.

She is afraid that the gang will strike the estate again, despite the arrest of 15 suspects in connection with the attack.

Mr Jayasiva was repeatedly slashed by the group last Monday after they asked if he was from a particular gang and he said he was not.

His mother said she is not going to let her only son out of her sight: 'It's scary, because I don't know if they'll come back for a second slashing.'

[email protected]

 

[Ilovelamb]

'These youngsters fight over nothing'

By Maureen Koh and Gan Ling Kai

EVEN the old guard of the underworld past - most of whom have since given up and moved on with their lives - is upset with what has been happening recently.

Their sentiments were best summed up in the words of one of eight former gang members The New
Paper on Sunday spoke with this past week.

Read also:

» Tracing the origins of Singapore gangs

» History of gang violence
"They (the so-called new breed of gang members) are like dogs. If you don't toilet-train them properly when they're young, they will just s*** wherever they want,and do whatever they want."

Unanimous in the view that gangs, and their illegal activities, are not the way to go, they could not help but feel sorry for the youngsters of today who have no reason to do what they are doing.

They said that in their time, gangs didn't go about slashing people over trivial matters.

Then, it was all about money - running the businesses. There was none of the senseless violence that has hogged the headlines in recent weeks.

In separate interviews with The New Paper on Sunday team, the "old guard" spoke of how "talk comes before fight".

We are not using their real names at their request as they have moved on.

Sam, in his late 30s, who claimed he was "like a 'general manager' with about 10 guys", used to run a coffee shop.

He said: "These days, many of these youngsters fight over nothing. Even if they're caught, they're usually charged with rioting.

"They just go "sit" (under detention) for two or three years, so they're not afraid."

After some thought, and a shake of the head, he repeated: "They (the new breed of gang members) are like dogs."

Chye, 50, agreed, saying that back then gang members "didn't whack people just because we 'buay song' (not happy in Hokkien)".

No order

He added: "We fought for a reason - for the territories (money-making spots), for the 'heah di' (brothers)
who were bullied."

Most importantly, John, 57, said: "We didn't do stupid things to put ourselves within the radar of the
police."

In comparison, today's street corner teens have no order, no management.

Sam said: "Some of these young punks just want to fight and make a name for themselves.

"Their leaders don't mind because the fights could make the gangs famous. So, it really depends on whom
they follow."

Seng, 60, who used to command a gang of 50 underlings, used to operate gambling dens and brothels in Chinatown.
He said: "Most of my men were your typical gangsters who came from poor family backgrounds. We shared the same objective - to make the bucks. So, they worked hard for me."

The traditional gangs had organised structures and focused primarily on making money through loan-sharking, prostitution and gambling dens.

Some "business ventures" have today evolved into bookie syndicates accepting bets, providing "cleaning
services" in return for protection money and selling pirated or pornographic VCDs and DVDs.

More tech-savvy gangs have also turned to the Internet and engage in online pimping, which became more
prevalent about seven years ago.

Peter, 52, reckons that the random recruitment of members also "contributes to the current mess".

He said: "Any Ah Beng, Ah Seng and Ah Heng can just intro(duce) their Tom, Dick and Harry friends to
join as 'brothers' (gang lingo for members).

"Sometimes, even the top level does not know who their 'kar kiah' (underlings) are."

Hock, 55, agreed: "Some (of the gangs) are divided into small 'sub-divisions'. Often, 'the lion does not know what the monkeys are doing'. They only find out when 'dai ji dua diao' (big trouble)."

Jimmy, in his late 20s, said: "I understand that some of the old guard are angry with the youths who get into senseless fights because they draw unnecessary attention.

"The old guard is concerned because they're already on the blacklist of the SSB."

The SSB is the Secret Societies Branch of the Criminal Investigations Department.

Jimmy said: "But what can they (the old guard) do? Nothing."

He added that while many of the young members today come from broken families, some of them are rich kids studying in top schools.

"They are the ones who have too much time, and they want access to drugs and the women, such as the KTV girls," he said.

Fights can happen too when the "hot-blooded" want to gain attention or recognition from their peers or leaders.

He added: "Yes, hacking someone is scary. But once someone starts to swing the knife, the rest just join in. Adrenaline will take over."

While Chye made it clear that he was not condoning the existence of gangs, he felt that some of them should
"review their management style".

"The young ones must learn to respect the hierarchy. They can't 'suka suka' (happily) whack people," he said.

"What happened to the negotiation process? Look, times may have changed but certain practices should
still remain, right?"

MANY of today's young gang members are hooligans who have lost their self-esteem, said retired police officer Lionel De Souza.

"They want to prove - albeit in the wrong way - that they too have talent," said Mr De Souza, 67, who spent 26 years with the Special Investigation Section and Secret Societies Branch (SSB).

"These youngsters are individuals who, generally, have not made their grade in life.

"Be it from their parents, teachers or even peers, they'd likely have heard words that have stabbed their hearts," he said.

Mr De Souza said there are no organised secret societies in Singapore. Some are street corner gangs, while others are splinter groups of well-known secret societies of the past.

"The relentless crackdown on secret societies (in the 1980s) flushed out many old-timers."

Retired police officer Lim Ah Soon, 65, said that the gangs today are no longer as stringent in recruitment. He was with the SSB for 17 years.

While the authorities are focused on the law, parents and teachers should play their parts in reaching out to the recalcitrant youths.

Mr De Souza said: "Don't talk down to them, just get the groundwork done. By and by, they will share more details about their unhappiness or what's bothering them.

"That's when we can dish out the right advice."

 

[Rogue Trader]

Re: before Darren Ng gang fighting were already rampage in SPORE

Mr Jayasiva was repeatedly slashed by the group last Monday after they asked if he was from a particular gang and he said he was not.

Deny being in the gang also kenna slash.. his attackers must be deaf or really stupid.

 

[bodycells]

Re: before Darren Ng gang fighting were already rampage in SPORE

oh another sinkie media story to tell others how harmful gang attack is.. wow.. is that a newspaper or a newsletter..

sinkies pls read real newspaper.... to become more human...not fiction novels.

 

[GoldenDragon]

Mr De Souza said: "Don't talk down to them, just get the groundwork done. By and by, they will share more details about their unhappiness or what's bothering them.

"That's when we can dish out the right advice."

How to listen to Lionel? He failed miserably as a father to 2 of his sons who landed up where they are now coz Lionel dished out the wrong advice.

 

[mako65]

These 369ers are indeed nuisance by the cases they hve now! They shld follow their fore-fathers, the "WuZu"/5 fighting monks who fought against the imperial familee instead...hahaha!

 

[knightriderz]

These 369ers are indeed nuisance by the cases they hve now! They shld follow their fore-fathers, the "WuZu"/5 fighting monks who fought against the imperial familee instead...hahaha!

Ah those kids watch too much young n dangerous re-runs