Cane street racers: Ling

Cane street racers: Ling

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysia's transport ministry and the police are pushing ahead with a plan to introduce caning for illegal street racers as fatalities increase, a senior minister said in remarks published yesterday.

The proposal is part of a move to increase penalties to deter illegal racing, especially among motorcyclists, Transport Minister Ling Liong Sik was reported saying by The Star.

"... they should be caned because they are very stubborn," said Ling, referring to numerous warnings which had gone unheeded.

"If there is no law that says they can be caned, we, together with the police, can change that," Ling said.

The police had called for tougher penalties last month after a traffic police motorcycle outrider was killed while escorting a group of illegal racers who were caught during an operation.

Ling said stiffer penalties were needed as the present penalty under the Road Transport Act was "insufficient".

A first offender faces a maximum fine of 6,000 ringgit (US$2,400) or three years' imprisonment, or both. A second offender can be fined up to 10, 000 ringgit or jailed not more than five years, or both.

Ling advised companies not to sponsor shows highlighting illegal racing, referring to the movie Highway Man which glorified racing on the streets of Hong Kong.

There were more than 150,000 accidents in Malaysia last year, 60 percent of which involved motorcyclists aged between 15 and 30 years, with more than 5,000 fatalities.