Gangs in Malaysia brazenly going public on social media
Gone are the days of secret handshakes and code words - now members of organised crime in Malaysia are brazenly going public.
Several gangs that made the news recently – like the swastika logo “21”, the ethnic-Indian-dominated “36” and mixed-race “18” – are on Facebook.
Although the Facebook groups are closed and require approval to join, the names of administrators and some members are clearly listed.
Some of the Facebook gangs are the 04, 21 (Klang and Shah Alam divisions), 1804 Kaigelz (the gangs 18 and 04 are linked, with 18 drawing its name from the 18 Immortals of Buddhism) and 36, also known as “Bob Marley”.
The members of these groups have open profiles, and post threatening status updates and images.
A Facebook user who calls himself “Suria Jahat”, and is purportedly a member of gang 36, sports the Sanskrit “Om” symbol as a logo, and the colours red, blue and yellow on his profile page.
His uploads include photos of stacks of currency notes wrapped in newspaper and a machete.
He also uploaded a photo of The Star’s recent news story “Gang 36 one of the most feared in the nation”, with the caption “bila-bila hidup!” (meaning “always alive” in Malay). 36 is an offshoot of the infamous 30, or the “Tiga Line” gang.
Also shocking is the youth of some members, as judged by a picture posted by one on a 36-linked Facebook page. In the photo, he is wearing his school uniform and holding a drawing of the “Om” symbol in gang colours and a crudely sketched hand giving the Tiga Line sign. According to an older member of the gang, the younger generation was a liability. The gang member said these youths did not treat the gangs like a secret society, and brandished signs in plain view.
