MyWatch: Gang members recruited while still in school

(The Star) – MyWatch co-founder S. Gobi Krishnan said recruitment into triad gangs start in the school compound, mainly along racial lines and at a young age.

He said boys as young as 13 or 14 years old would be offered protection from older “big brothers” of other races in the gang.

“When they turn 15, their ‘big brothers’ will give them a small amount of drugs to distribute, something smart, as police will not suspect the schoolchildren, and the boys will earn a small profit from the cut,” he said.

“Soon, they become closer to the gang and drop out of school, and the ‘big brother’ will introduce them to alcohol, girls and nightclubs,” Gobi said.

“Then, they will go on to follow the ‘big brothers’ instructions to fight or chop up someone.”

Gobi, who is also People’s Welfare and Rights Coalition (Power) president, said gangs usually targeted youths from the urban poor, who came from broken families and lived in flats near their schools, as they were the most vulnerable and accessible.

He added that when the boys turned 17, they would be initiated into the gang through a ritual.

“They would say some prayers and then someone would use a knife to cut flesh out of their hands,” Gobi added.

“And the boys need to withstand the pain to show they are strong enough to be in the gang.”

Gobi said the youths had an easier way out by joining gangs because it promised them a good life.

“The downside is that they will probably be killed if they wanted to leave,” he added.

“Unless they get caught by the police and jailed, that would be their safest exit.”

Power, a civil rights group, deals with youth gangsterism while MyWatch is a prominent anti-crime group which acted as a watchdog of the police force.