KUCHING, Jan 25: The occurence of random assault incidents in the city recently has been causing anxiety among members of the public.
“Rampant violence for no reason should be kept in check as such culture is now gaining a foothold here. It is causing grave concern,” said Stampin assemblyman Julian Tan.
Speaking at a press conference today, Tan together with Padungan assemblyman Wong King Wei said a few joggers have been targetted.
“All of them were assaulted, some with serious injuries, but the perpetrators did not rob or snatch any belongings. It seems like they’ll just attack people randomly and for fun.
“We are appealing to the authorities to take the necessary actions as soon as possible to curb this issue from continuing, as we do not know how many more will become victims in the future,” Tan said.
In a recent case, a female jogger was attacked by an unidentified person in the vicinity of the State Library on Jan 20.
Another case involved a jogger who was attacked near a hotel at Jalan Ban Hock on Jan 7.
Tan has written to the authorities, namely the police and local councils, on the issue concerned.
“I have also put forward my suggestions on what can be done to improve the situation. Among the ideas are increasing the number of patrols by plainclothes policemen especially in park areas, installing Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras and trimming the low branches of trees and bushes.
“We may not have enough police or security manpower, so this can be an immediate solution especially in open areas such as jogging parks,” Tan said.
Wong added, in line with Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg’s vision to turn Sarawak into a tech-savy state, CCTV cameras should be installed for safety and security measures.
He said that police have been informed of such incidents and victims have also lodged individual reports.
“However, nothing seems to have changed. Although they said they will tackle the problem, I don’t see any action taken, as we are still seeing similar cases happening.
“If the situation does not improve, we will call all the relevant authorities for a meeting to discuss this matter,” Wong said. — DayakDaily
