TAMPIN, BROGA POTENTIAL SPOTS FOR ECSTASY SCOURGE, SAYS LING

JOHOR BARU: Tampin, with one part in Negri Sembilan and the other in
Malacca, is typical of towns where state boundaries overlap and vice
thrives.

MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Ling Liong Sik, who singled out Tampin and
Broga (at the Negri Sembilan-Selangor border) as potential danger
spots for the Ecstasy scourge and other unhealthy activities, said the
authorities in the areas must be serious about wiping out such menaces.

He said that when he visited the Negri Sembilan side of Tampin
recently, he was satisfied that the town was free from Ecstasy and
illegal gaming activities.

"This shows the effectiveness of their enforcement exercise,'' he
said.

However, Dr Ling said the scenario of the town on the Malacca side was
different.

"Some of the entertainment outlets and video arcades there are
flouting the law.

"Operators of these outlets have failed to follow regulations
requiring them to close by 1am.

"Such malpractice will encourage Ecstasy pills to be sold, especially
to youngsters,'' he said after attending the MCA Pulai Division 51st
anniversary dinner on Sunday.

Dr Ling, who is also Transport Minister, said a similar situation
existed at Broga town.

"Five years ago, without Ecstasy, these discos survived.

"Why is it that we now allow peddlers and pushers to sell these pills
which can wipe out a whole generation?

"We do not need this kind of social ill in our society.

"I hope the police and the authorities concerned will look into the
matter seriously,'' he said.

Dr Ling also voiced his concern about video arcades which he said were
nothing more than gambling dens to attract the youth.

He added that Malay youths were now getting involved in such illegal
activities.