uppercaise was attacked by three of four young men on motorcyles late last night while walking back alone after watching televised football at the nearby mamak shop.
They came up to him after he had crossed a major traffic junction. One of them shouted “Tak bagi lain orang” and rushed at him with his mates, punching and kicking and trying to grab uppercaise’s gear. They ripped off a camera and music player, but failed to take his wallet, and rode off. Five or six foreign workers with a sanitation services crew in the next street, hearing the cries for help, merely stood and watched. As they moved away a car that had been waiting near a neighbourhood junction 100m away, which uppercaise usually used, drove slowly past heading off in the same direction as the attackers.
At the police station, the constables were business-like and kept a non-committal demeanour as uppercaise related what had happened. The police radio crackled away with messages in the background; two phrases came through clearly while uppercaise was making his report. One voice said “Ini Selangor”. A few seconds later another voice said “Balek ke Umno”.
uppercaise suffered minor cuts and bruises in the attack.
uppercaise 
This is very sad. I am however thankful you did not get badly hurt. If it is any comfort, what you have lost is purely material, though it is easy for me to say.
Selfishly, I hope this won’t prevent you from continuing blogging.
hope you are ok … shaken but stirred into action…
Very sad and distressing to read about this. Angry too — that such violations occur.
As for business-like and non-committal personnel, I wonder if like me, when making a report on my belongings (computer) being stolen from my car (while I was inside — the 2 robbers on a bike smashed the back window), that you had to take a number like in a post office or bank before lodging the report. This was after midnight! And there were others there too …. two of which were simlar cases.
Needless to say, have never heard of any stolen property being recovered or returned to owner (except if some VIP-lah).
Please take care — we all have to. This is really too much… Spending so much on ‘defence of the country’ when ordinary citizens can’t walk the street and many now pay for their own security (gated communities, indeed).
Sorry about the camera and music player, bro, but glad you were otherwise unscathed. Do you think it was just a random snatch theft – or was there a political undercurrent? What you overheard at the balai is most troubling. How the PDRM became Umnoized is a subject worthy of a PhD dissertation.
Bloody cowards! They are truly desperate.
Thanks for your thoughts, everyone. It wasn’t a random incident, it was just made to look like a Mat Rempit attack and in fact one of the police pointedly asked whether it was Mat Rempit. It’s one of a series of incidents in the past few years: e.g. there was one the night after my posting on Tenaga Malaysia’s severe lack of humour. The following night, a Tenaga van was double-parked outside the mamak shop, the only occasion I’ve seen one there this year. Just to make sure I didn’t miss the point, I suppose.
The remarks over the police radio didn’t happen by chance, I’m sure. (After I wrote an editorial on the Aminul shooting, the CPO called someone to find out who wrote it and was promptly and fawningly told so.)
Bullying and intimidation are now ingrained in the political culture and this open prison, Mahathir’s Malaysia, has been taking a long time to die.
Uppercaise,
I am so sorry to hear about your predicament. Please be more vigilant since your gut feel tells you that this recent incident is not a random incident.
I believe the car waiting at the neighbourhood junction must be belonging to the special bunch. These human-looking animals are everywhere.
I will pray for your safety. Please do not walk alone in the still of the night.
I love your impeccable writing.
May you be safe and healthy.
Siebel
Please be vigilant and trust your hunches and intuition. You write so well and that irritates the dumb ones no end. Keep courage dear upper class upper caise.
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Brother, take care. Some of us are in their cross-hairs. But we will continue to spread the truth.
Take care, mon ami.
These are actions of cowards.
Be safe.
If things add up, this sounds like UMNO-sanctioned crime in collusion with the cops.
… and if it’s any consolation, you must be doing something right.
Take care and stay safe, please.