Snatch Thief on the prowl In Malacca

I never thought something like this would happen to me..

Me and my friends went on a quick tour around Malacca after paying a visit to a friend who was hospitalised at Pantai Hospital Ayer Keroh.

Burglary is a scenario you don't think about until it happens to you. Other people may think that you are being strong or that you may feel that you could have done something to prevent it. Obviously, I was wrong for not to take further precaution actions.

 I had a gold necklace snatched from my neck by a snatch thief on a motorbike when the incident took place at about 1.30pm. After composing myself from shock, I search the spot to see my precious gold cross that my mother had bought me if by any  chance of being dropped. However, no such luck.

I was wearing my gold cross necklace that I have worn possibly thousand times before, tuck inside my shirt hidden from view but the cross that I had worn since childhood is now gone forever.

A CCTV image at Malacca. I believe this is the same snatch thief who snatch my gold neckless. Unfortunately this December 17, 2014 shows another victim falls prey to snatch thief. This time the thief snatches her purse right off her shoulder, pulls her while she's desperately trying to hold. Thank God she was not seriously hurt.

Did I managed to see the face of the villain? No, as he was wearing a tinted full face helmet.

First of all, let me make it clear first that I don't wear my necklace like the way Mr. T wore and display prominently his heavy neck chains and bracelets, thus attracting the unwanted attention.

 Mr. T: Gold chains were his  trademark 

Following is a list of Do's and Don't's when you're walking the streets, there are also other people out there who will come up behind you and take this opportunity to rob you. Although this is a case of 'too little too late' for me now.

 Don't's

1. Walking alone on unlit streets, across dark openland etc makes you more vulnerable to crime.

Most people know that they shouldn’t walk home late at night or in the early hours of the morning on their own, but many people still do it is either a choice or it is not. Maybe I was naive, apparently feeling confident that it would never happen to me. Not that quickly. Not in broad daylight.

2. Avoid talking on your mobile while walking because, you are unaware of what’s going on around you.

 A moment's carelessness can leads to heavy losses , we have to keep an eye out for anything unusual  when walking along public roads. While you're totally engrossed in a mobile phone conversation, makes you less aware of your surroundings. Just when you momentarily let my guard down, BANG..the thief strikes you with a 'sucker punch' and get away with your precious possession.

3. Don't flaunt your wealth by wearing expensive jewelry in public like Hollywood movie stars.

These days, it's better to look poor and be safe, than look rich and be a victim.

4. A purse snatch (robbery) can occur anywhere at anytime. In order to reduce your risk, there are many precautions you can take preventive measure.

Hold your handbag firmly at all times. Carry it so it can't be snatched from behind or grabbed by a person in a passing vehicle. A growing concern on women falling prey to snatch theft, a strong tug or resist can cause serious physical damage to the body caused by a hard fall.

Never leave your handbag on the car seat beside you even while you're driving.Thugs will not be hesitate to smash the side window glass to grab and run.
Do not leave the handbag on the table while dining at restaurants to risks someone snatching it. My aunt  lose her handbag that way.

Do's

1. Always be alert when walking out on the streets.

 By the way, I was being alert when my sixth sense tell me somebody is trailing me. I look at the back and saw the  no-good person stopped his motorcycle. Thinking I was being paranoid I keep on walking till suddenly I felt a motorcycle at almost full throttle beside me. I thought he innocently appeared as though the rider lost his balance on his motorcycle but .. Oh darn, I felt a hand grabbing the back of my neck that it became evident to me that someone was trying to steal my gold chain.  In an instant, he had grabbed my chain and was speeding off.

It happened so fast that I have no time to react. How often do you trust your gut? How often do you ignore it? Trust your force, David. Why didn't you?

2.  Those wearing jewellery should walk in groups.

I was with them when momentarily break off from the pack while crossing the street. Like a flock of sheep those who stray behind will be attack from behind. The wolves see me the same as prey and stalk attack from behind during the separation.

3.  Try to wear tops with collars to cover my neck.

This will make you less conspicuous of your gold jewelry but  not full proof protection.

4. Try to walk off the main road and onto walk paths or five-foot walkways.

Snatch thieves prefer to strike on deserted roads or lanes, where the villains get away speed off instantly.

5. Pedestrian should armed themselves for protection.

You must be thinking of you get to carry a gun and act like its the Wild West. No guns are allowed but you may get umbrella to be used as a weapon or shield.

What can the government do to fight snatch theft?

a. The police need to implement more effective measures to nab snatch thieves throughout the country, police should have been seen more frequently on the street on patrol and in uniform.

 It's just like the old saying goes..When the cat's away, the mice will play.

b.  Set up police booths at area of high crime rate.

c. All local authorities should introduce initiatives and implement the guidelines under the safe city concept to provide safety features, make sure the pedestrian walkways or kaki lima is free of obstacle.  Many shop owners encroaching on the footpaths. Stern action shiould be taken against those found flouting the rules.

Why there are shop that have table and chair at the walkway that is not remove by local council ?

 Some shop owners had set up stalls in front of their premises and were blocking the walkways, when I was unable to use the walkway I was forced to leave the walkway which gave the opportunity for the robber to employ rob-and-run tactics.


d.   A warning signboard should be provided along pedestrian to warn the sector is a favourite target for snatch theft.

Beware of snatch thief sign boards to alert potential victims to to remain vigilant 

e. More stringent punishment must be meted out to those convicted of snatch thefts commensurate with the seriousness of the offence. Hudud law perhaps? No, the  punishment is too cruel despite how I hate the mugger for taking away my golden cross. Just hope there will be God's justice meted to him, let him die a painful death and rot in Hell!


f. The Transport Ministry should consider banning full face helmet again in the future like in the 1970s. In response to calls from the publicto ban it as there have been many cases of robberies and snatch thefts, not to mention fatal shootings involving hired killers using full face helmets with heavily tinted visors.

By having a  full-face motorcycle helmets, criminals can misused them to conceal their faces to avoid identification by their victims.

Talk is cheap and actions always speak louder than words.  Let's hope the law-enforcement authorities in the area take action sooner than later. A high incidence of crime can leave a bad taste in the mouth of an arriving tourist.

I believe that the jewelry and handbag sales will also suffered eventually due to consumers afraid to wear jewelry and ladies reluctant to carry her handbag due to widespread crime of mug or snatch especially by motorists.

In the aftermath of the incident, I am wary of even the lightest movement around me would leave me anxiety and fear.

I, like other snatch theft victims, have to deal with stigma of Trauma after this incident. I feel irrational hatred for motorcycle especially the bigger bike and detest the sight and sound of them as they reminded me by this trauma inflicted on me by a selfish person who is unwilling to work hard for a living.

I won't be able to feel safe in Malacca for quite sometime and I don't intend to return for another visit till another 10 years or perhaps sooner than later when someday I forget about it.

Some people faced unlucky periods during their life but most people has cycles of good and bad luck in their life stages. Just like in the movie "Final Destination", sooner or later the Grim Reaper will get you but the victims are unaware of what is happening around them.

So in the first Stage I survived without a scratch, for now.

No matter how much we look back at the past, we can never go back. We can not change what has already happened.No Turning Back the Clock or to be a film director who can shoot the same scene over and over.

Looking back on it now,  what would you do differently in ...What If factor?

Maybe some things just are meant to happen..In the past I may have ignore all the safety precautions like  walking down a dark, deserted alley late at night but no untoward incident occurs. On the contrary on a busy street which generally regard as safe place someone snatches my necklace. It puzzles me just by thinking about it.

Bad luck, karma, whatever you want to call it. I need to believe in fate, I must believe or accept that I have no idea what is going  but someone or something does. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and I guess I should just be grateful to God that no  serious bodily injury harm comes to me.

Money can be lost and earned again. But your life you never get back.

Summons of the Soul Ritual 招魂

The Chinese called the human soul (s), Hun Po.  Hun (Chinese: 魂) and po (Chinese: 魄; ). It literally means "cloud-soul".

It is believed that each person soul is divided between  three hun souls Yang energy and seven po souls Yin energy.

Soon after death, a person's Hun being the heavenly soul returns to heaven as Shen (spirit) and may later return to Tao, while Po, the earthly soul will descend into the earth with flesh and bones, and eventually dissolved.

The hun and po could be temporarily come together after a period of being separated  through a ritual called the fu 復 "recall; return", zhaohun 招魂 "summon the hun soul".
In ancient China, the ritual of zhaohun fupo 招魂復魄 " is to summon the hun-soul to reunite with the po-soul" in the hope of bringing the dead person back to life. Should the ritual did not served their purpose, only then a person can be pronounced dead. In recent years, such soul retrieval ritual has evolved into specifically to locate the drowning victim missing body.


 You've heard it before somewhere, one of the terrifying moment is when you wake up and found yourself buried alive in a coffin.  Worst case scenario, you  had possibly been declared dead prematurely and awoke inside in a cremation oven when they are starting to cremate you.

An urban legend  states that the sayings “Saved by the bell” circulating on the Internet is allegedly resulted in a new method of burial by using a coffin with a bell to avoid accidentally buried alive while in a coma.

 Designs for coffins with warning devices, known as safety coffins.
You can ring my bell, anytime, anywhere. Ring it, ring it.

So just in case you're dead, ring a bell that was attached by a string. Sorry, Your Time Is Not Up!

 May be an option to include a cell phone for you to call from you're coffin saying.. Hey guys, hold your horses! I'm not dead. False alarm.

Just for the record, the actual meaning of “Saved by the bell” comes not from being buried alive but from a boxer who is saved from loses by way knockout or KO when the timekeeper bell sounds, signalling the end of the round.

Zhong yin shen (traditional Chinese: 中陰身; simplified Chinese: 中阴身; pinyin: zhōng yīn shēn; literally: "intermediate yin body") refers to a spirit in a transition state between his/her death and when he/she goes for reincarnation, as described in Mahayana Buddhism.

A newly deceased person may return (回魂) to his home at some nights, sometimes one week (頭七) after his death. The 7th days is the most important day for any souls of the dead want to return home to pass dream or anything, they can only do it on the 7th day. After that, the seven po would vanish one by one  every 7 days for 49 days after death.

After 49 days, the Buddhists believe, the soul would have departed this world.” ... Chanting sutras can help the spirit to have a better afterlife”

Remember the Patrick Swayze-Demi Moore movie Ghost? When Patrick killed during a botched mugging, his ghost lingers on to protect her from dangers of which she is unaware.

The soul of the deceased person usually remains close to the place he/she lived, wander around their house and tries to follow the lifestyle he or she was used to.

It's not unusual for the dying to have visions, often of someone who has already passed on. Before my dad leave the world, he used to tell my mum that his deceased father and mom visited him last night. You may think he is hallucinating, so now we know they are the guides to greet him when he cross over.

Those who died with unfinished business become earthbound and cannot cross over till someone  helps them to find peace. Someone who dies without warning often can’t let go right away. Maybe they feel they need to get a message to a loved one before they cross over, believing that once they cross over they won't be able to enter into any communications with these people.

 Believe it or not, there are spirits wandering around out there who aren’t clear on the fact that they’ve died like untimely death. Those people who dies suddenly and unexpectedly were extremely committed to living, it could take days or even weeks to get the clue. They could end up haunting old haunts, trying to get the attention of the living and wondering why they can’t hear you. Sad isn't it?

 She Sees Dead People? Pssst!. turn your head to look behind you.

In the TV series life of Melinda Gordon, who has the  with the ability to communicate with the earthbound spirits of the recently deceased overcomes scepticism and doubt to help send their important messages to the living and allow the dead to pass on to the other side.

Souls that depart to the Spirit World get help from  a “Spirit Guide”. The majority of people usually wander around their house during the first seven days after their physical death, but when their consciousness becomes clear enough, a “spirit guide” comes to help them to making them know that they are already dead. This spirit guide could be, in an ordinary case, a close friend, an acquaintance, parents or a sibling who died earlier. I wonder what would the Spirit Guide says? Maybe something like...okay, buddy, let's be honest. You're pretty dead, let's face it... Dude, you're hanging out with us now.Follow Me Towards The Light.

At the time of crossing over, individuals are generally thrown into an initial place of darkness and then are met by a very bright light. They enter a tunnel and move through this tunnel with the assistance of loved spirits and move into an area where earth loved ones in their most current incarnation have formed ahead of them. It becomes like a large family reunion on the other side.

 If you ever find your spirit instantly severed from your body, it could take a little while to realise what’s happened. If you’re ever in a awkward situation where you feel you might be dead, try walking through a wall. If you tried but cannot walk through and bumped into the wall.. Sorry you not dead.... Please try again later.

If you can, you’re probably dead.

 Sam's ghostly form, still adjusting to the afterlife reaching for the door knob. All he need to is walk
through walls or doors.

With exception of David Copperfield who simply walked through the Great Wall in one of his tricks. How did he do the walk through the Great Wall of China magic? I don't know how he got the privilege, he's a mortal.

Watermelon – Throw into the sea ritual to find body 



When someone is believed to have died at sea sea but can't be get the corpse back, then the victim's  family may hire Taoist priests to perform  soul retrieval ritual by using a watermelon to summon the departed soul  to enter the watermelon.

It is not known why a melon was used and what supernatural power it had. Of all the fruits they may pick but why watermelon, the chosen one? Well, its answer is very simple. Watermelon does not sink in the water due to less dense than the water it is placed in. It also owing to air tight like a tyre tube it will buoy and the air that is trapped has no way to come out from it until you'd cut it. So unless you cut it or the melon cracked open, it will not sink in the water.

Another version on why a melon is used, it is most widely accepted explanation is that the spirit of the dead likes eating watermelon. Victims' family members  take advantage of an opportunity of this and use watermelons to attract the spirit.

 Juicy red flesh at the centre of a watermelon 

Watermelon chosen also due to the physical appearance of a body with  huge component of red colouring which represent the blood in the body. This is  no ordinary melon. The priest writes it with melon water inscribed with the unlucky person name.

One strange thing happen when you throw the watermelon into the water, normally it will  float on the surface of the water but the melon seems to defy all laws of science, as soon as it hit the water the watermelon sinks… I know, I know...the watermelon damage isn’t it? No, it's Not.

Strange things about to happen! A few minutes later the watermelon resurfaced and float on the water, just like a buoy marking a spot. Next, the body of a drowning victim will float up and surface at a distance close to the watermelon. This ritual doesn't guarantee instant success. It's up to the Lord of the sea to decide when to release the body, sooner or later.

What is the purpose to order the soul enter the watermelon? It is because watermelon can float on the surface of the water and by this way, the soul could find back his own corpse and allow their family to give a decent burial as well.

This  extraordinary occurrence theory is very difficult to proof it using scientific evidence. Naturally,
it met with a great deal of public scepticism since no way of proofing.  People who believe only when they've seen with their own eyes. I've not seen so I can't say whether its true or not but my fellow colleague, Yeo had seen it being performed and true to the facts.

One of the early records known account of this ritual.

Maiden Cao using a divination tool (watermelon) in her search for her father's body is a fragment of an Eastern Jin (317-420), the following details:

The filial girl Maiden Cao was the daughter of Cao Yu, a native of  Shangyu district, then only fourteen years old.  Yu drowned when he was swamped by large waves. His body was not found.

After hearing the conformation of his father's death she deeply mourning the loss of him.

 She was seen wailing hysterically for her father, Yu, crying in sorrow by the marshes.Shortly after that , she threw into the river a melon. She said to the imagined body of her father:

  "May this melon sink to the spot where my father is." Seventeen days later, the melon suddenly sank. Cao thus ended her life by throwing herself into the river and drowned.  Five days after that, her drowned body re-emerged with her father's body clasped in her arms.

Get Expert Help. This would not be a good time for DIY.

Taoist believe a recent deceased soul may return on the seventh day after death.

This priest will perform  rituals linking the heaven, earth and sea and somehow open a triangular channel of communication.

Abracadabra-alakazam: Tian-Ling-Ling, Di-Ling-Ling

Every living being are subject to the governing authorities. People like us, we live on land. In someway we are being governed by the law of nature. In the seas there is another set of rules of its own. If someone drowns in the sea, normally the sea has the right of custody of the body. It simply exercise its jurisdiction on retain the corpse.

Before the ritual begins, Taoist set up an altar with proper offering substances such as fruits, incense, paper money etc. at the area in which they believe the victim may be found.

It is called spirits flag, the flag of the ancient attract spirits.

Now a conjuration mantra is recited while wielding a spirit flag to call upon adjacent spirits for assistance to retrieve the drown body.The Taoist seeking permission to appeal for returning a lost body says something like this, “We, human owe you an apology for disturbing your peaceful marine environment. In view of the fact that we  finding someone who is lost out there in your territory, we humbly seeking for your assistance and kind understanding to release the body belonging from our territory. We wish to express our gratitude and thanks”

When everything is ready, the Taoist will read out a passage expressing his intention to perform this ritual. After that the name and age of the deceased is called out loud.
Asking permission from Dragon King  to return the body to the world of land

 Yelled at the top of his voice sobs uncontrollably, yelling his son name O son (soul), come back!

The watermelon empowered by a Taoist priest and together with paper offerings are thrown into the sea while calling the drown person’s name to draw the attention of the lost souls who may have drowned. 

 Watermelon sinks in fast when throw into the sea, don't you dare to say, I don't believe it.

Dead body floats after 3 days

The body miraculously surfaced!

If the ritual was successful, then the body was located and recovered in the surronding area of where he was last seen. How long does the search take? There are four variants: three days, five days, fifteen days, and an instant. Provided of course, if the dragon king of the sea are willing to release the soul of the drowned.

Nobody from the Western countries would takes this ritual seriously, except for FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Daa Scully (Gillian Anderson) in"X-File" perhaps? 

"The Truth is Out There"