Businessperson Tee Yam @ Koo Tee Kam is among the three primary “planners” of a dinner by Chinese guilds to celebrate Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's 93rd birthday.
The other two are Federation of Chinese Guilds and Associations lifetime honorary president Liew Poon Siak and Federation of Kwong Siew Association Malaysia president Ho Sai Chong.
The event will be held on July 22, a day before Mahathir's actual birthday, at the HXC Grand Ballroom, ICC Pudu, Kuala Lumpur. About 2,000 people are expected at the 200 table event.
In 2005, Koo made headlines when he was released from the Simpang Renggam detention centre where he was held without trial under the Emergency Ordinance 1969. He was rearrested almost immediately.
The Federal Court had released Koo from detention after the authorities had failed to show cause. By then he had already spent 17 months in jail without any charges being laid against him.
His rearrest under the same law was short-lived as he spent only three days under detention at Bukit Aman.
At the time, Koo's lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said the authorities had accused his client of being part of a secret society involved in activities prejudicial to public order and involvement in violent crimes.
Koo dismissed these allegations and accused the authorities of making up stories to support his detention.
He is believed to own several restaurants and nightclubs in Kuala Lumpur. The Chinese media, at the time, dubbed him one of the city's "Four Heavenly Kings" alluding that he was an underworld kingpin.
Koo has publicly objected to this label by the media.
In 2013, Koo had a close brush with death when a bomb strapped to the bottom of his Jaguar exploded. He escaped unscathed.
Malaysiakini is seeking a response from the Prime Minister's Office on whether Mahathir will be attending the event. -Mkini
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