Cane street racers: Ling<\/p>\n
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysia's transport ministry and the
\npolice are pushing ahead with a plan to introduce caning for
\nillegal street racers as fatalities increase, a senior minister
\nsaid in remarks published yesterday.<\/p>\n
The proposal is part of a move to increase penalties to deter
\nillegal racing, especially among motorcyclists, Transport
\nMinister Ling Liong Sik was reported saying by The Star.<\/p>\n
\"... they should be caned because they are very stubborn,\"
\nsaid Ling, referring to numerous warnings which had gone
\nunheeded.<\/p>\n
\"If there is no law that says they can be caned, we, together
\nwith the police, can change that,\" Ling said.<\/p>\n
The police had called for tougher penalties last month after a
\ntraffic police motorcycle outrider was killed while escorting a
\ngroup of illegal racers who were caught during an operation.<\/p>\n
Ling said stiffer penalties were needed as the present penalty
\nunder the Road Transport Act was \"insufficient\".<\/p>\n
A first offender faces a maximum fine of 6,000 ringgit
\n(US$2,400) or three years' imprisonment, or both. A second
\noffender can be fined up to 10, 000 ringgit or jailed not more
\nthan five years, or both.<\/p>\n
Ling advised companies not to sponsor shows highlighting
\nillegal racing, referring to the movie Highway Man which
\nglorified racing on the streets of Hong Kong.<\/p>\n
There were more than 150,000 accidents in Malaysia last year,
\n60 percent of which involved motorcyclists aged between 15 and 30
\nyears, with more than 5,000 fatalities.<\/p>",
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