Video of convicted PPS member goes viral
New Straits Times – 1 hour 52 minutes ago
GEORGE TOWN: A video of a convicted Penang Voluntary Patrol Unit (PPS) member carrying out crowd-control duties has gone viral on YouTube.
Identified as Lim Ah Chye, the 53-year-old was sacked for assaulting a reporter two years ago.
The video showed Lim donning PPS’ purple vest with a walkie-talkie in hand while on crowd duty during the funeral of the late Bukit Gelugor member of parliament, Karpal Singh, in April.
This revelation lends credence to police claims that the unit was infiltrated by convicted persons.
In an immediate response, PPS chief Phee Boon Poh said Ah Chye’s membership was “reinstated”.
He argued that the attendance of PPS members at Karpal’s funeral was beyond his control.
“When Karpal passed away, could I have decided who attends?
“Yes, he has been reinstated as a PPS member. Because of one person, the whole team has to go? Everyone deserves a second chance.”
The video, titled Penang PPS: Where is your Competency, Accountability and Transparency? was uploaded by YouTube user Lim Sian See, who claimed “Lim Ah Chye was sacked and banned for life from the PPS”.
Phee said the claim was false.
“I only said that he was sacked. I did not say he was sacked for life.”
In the Dec 30, 2012, incident, Guang Ming Daily journalist Ang Kean Siang, 32, suffered injuries to the face after Lim assaulted him while covering a suicide case at an apartment in Jelutong.
Lim, who was wearing the unit’s official vest, told off Ang for taking pictures. Ang left but was stopped by another man on a motorcycle, who offered him a lift to his car. However, the man took Ang to a PPS container office in Lorong Perak.
Lim, with three others, continued admonishing Ang and threw punches, leaving him with bruises on the face and a torn lip. Ang was also kicked in the groin.
His assailants then grabbed his camera, smashed it and took away the memory card.
Subsequently, the Penang Chinese Newspaper Reporters and Photographers Association demanded that PPS sack Lim, and it obliged.
Lim pleaded guilty in a Penang magistrate’s court and was fined RM3,000 for intentionally causing harm and damages amounting to RM1,200.
