Eating out unsafe; heavy punishment called for drunken Kepong thugs who attacked “staring” diner

 

EATING out is a favourite Malaysian pastime.

However, in recent days, many a makan kaki (foodies) would have shuddered in fear over a viral CCTV clip where a man enjoying his bowl of pork rib soup a.k.a. bak kut teh (BKT) was mercilessly beaten for purportedly glancing at the aggressors the wrong way.

The victim has since given his side of the story where a simple craving for late-night BKT turned into an experience that will traumatise him for life. Speaking to Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng, the dazed man insisted on remaining anonymous as he feared for his family’s safety.

Still obviously shaken by the violent altercation, the BKT aficionado is still unable to comprehend why he was attacked.

“While eating, I heard some noise to my right, looked up and saw some guys drinking, then turned away to continue eating when I heard somebody shouted, “What the f**k are you looking at” in Cantonese but I continued eating as I don’t know these individuals,’ he recounted.

“Then I felt something thrown towards me which I now know were ice cubes and the next thing I know was I was viciously attacked and punched for no apparent reason.”

Recurring pain, hefty medical bill

The late-night diner was adamant that he did nothing to provoke the assailants and was lucky there were no knives within reach, otherwise he could have been “stabbed to death”.

Listing out his injuries, the victim also lamented that he now has to contend with expensive medical bills.

I sustained serious injuries to my head, forehead, eyes, neck, shoulders, back, body, etc with stitches on my forehead. I’m in pain, having headaches – pain on my head and body – with my eyesight sometimes being blurry which wasn’t the case before the incident.

“I’m seeing numerous medical doctors such as neurosurgeon, orthopaedic surgeon and ophthalmology specialist which were referred by the hospital emergency department.

I’m also seeing a psychiatrist for trauma. I’m now also burdened by expensive medical bills as I’m not covered by medical insurance.

Of the life-changing experience, he confessed that “I’m now fearful for my life and my family’s safety. I am traumatised, having painful sleepless nights and do not dare to eat out alone.”

Now that the three suspects are in custody, he hoped that justice be served simply to allow ordinary Malaysians the peace of mind to dine out without fear of being beaten up for merely looking at someone the wrong way.

The post on the DAP lawmaker’s Facebook page has amassed 1.8K likes, 518 comments and 155 shares at time of writing with many citizens demanding that justice be served.

A Kepong resident complained that the incident has tarred the area’s image as “low-class” and “full of thugs and gangsters”. ‘Let justice be served’ was the cry.

This sentiment was echoed when it was claimed that Kepong residents now all lived in fear. This was not an assault but attempted murder, argued this observer who noted not just the severity of the eating but that the assailants tried to push the victim’s head in a boiling vat of hot soup.

The victim was urged to seek compensation in civil courts and it was also hoped that a not-so-lenient judge will throw the book at the thugs. Caning was also suggested as a deterrent to other hot-headed gangsters who acted before engaging their grey matter.

As mentioned by a few fearful citizens, this could happen to anyone. As the fight was “unprovoked”, 5he suspects must be made to feel the full brunt of the law to act as a deterrent.

As many have mentioned, justice must be properly dispensed for this unprovoked assault lest looking another person in the wrong manner becomes an excuse for GBH (grievous bodily harm). 

- fOCUS MALAYSIA