A group of residents have urged Penang Chief Minister Dr Koh Tsu Koon to take action on an assault case involving a security guard of a high-rise apartment in his Tanjong Tokong constituency where he is also the patron of the residents' association.

Koh was criticised for not responding to the incident in which two men claimed they were violently assaulted by a group led by the chief security guard of a high-rise apartment in Medan Fettes.

One of the residents, Quek Yew Guan, 36, an electrical appliances repairman, alleged that he was attacked by the security guard and three other men as he was pushing his motorcycle back to his apartment at about 7pm last Thursday.

"The guard chased me in his car, shouted at me, called me a 'chicken' for making complaints against his security company," said Quek at the press conference organised by Penang Keadilan.

"When I did not pay attention to him and instead used my handphone to call the police, the guard alighted from his car and started hitting me with an 18-inch spanner," he added, showing journalists the injuries and bruises sustained during the incident.

Quek said he suspected the assault was due to his complaints on the rise of theft in the apartments at a residents' association meeting a month ago.

Death threat

He said other residents who witnessed the assault shouted for the men to stop attacking him, but this was to no avail.

According to Quek, the guard had earlier warned that if he did not stop complaining on the matter, he would be "killed".

"I am now afraid to go home and have been in hiding since Thursday. Why am I made to suffer?" he asked.

"We [the residents] pay the maintenance fees. We are supposed to be the boss. How can the security guard threat us like this?"

Quek has demanded the management to compensate him for his medical costs, damage to his motorcycle and loss of his handphone during the assault.

Another resident, Benneth Goh Yu Sheng, 25, also claimed he was assaulted with the spanner and helmets while he tried to assist his friend, Quek, during the scuffle.

Meanwhile, the Tanjong Tokong police confirmed that a report had been lodged by Quek on July 25 regarding the 'death threat', while another report was lodged at the General Hospital where the victim was taken for a medical check-up soon after the assault.

Stop the violence

Penang Keadilan deputy chief Cheah Kah Peng, who is a lawyer representing Quek, said chief minister Koh, as head of the safety and security council and patron of the residents' association, should resolve the matter and stop the violence from perpetuating.

"It's been six days since the incident. We hope action will not only be taken after someone's life has been sacrificed," he said.

"This is attempted murder, robbery, assault and battery. It is a criminal act, using weapons with intent to kill, and it happened in Koh's constituency. Yet nothing has been done."

Cheah added that he had received similar complaints from several other residents who are terrified of living in the area, which houses 700 units in six apartment blocks.

Koh cannot be reached for his comments.