Wong Swee Chin, known professionally as Edmund Tan / Louis Ling / Botak Chin (3 March 1951–11 June 1981) was a Malaysian criminal and gangster. He rose to fame as one of the most notorious and dangerous gangsters during the 1960s and 1970s. He and his friend Kevin Yee Kai Kit were known for conducting armed robberies, which in a few cases involved huge amounts of cash. He was respected by the Chinese Hakka community and often regarded as modern-age

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...

, as some say he shared the cash from the robberies with the poor. On the evening of 16 February 1976, he was arrested by the police. He was executed on 11 June 1981 in

Pudu Prison Pudu Prison (), also known as Pudu Jail or Pudu Gaol, was a prison in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Built in phases by the British colonial government between 1891 and 1895, it was located along Jalan Shaw (now Jalan Hang Tuah). The construction bega ...

Early life

Botak Chin was born in

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

on 3 March 1951 to a family of 10 siblings. His father worked with

Malayan Railways Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) (; Jawi script, Jawi: ) or colloquially referred to simply as KTM, is the main rail operator in Peninsular Malaysia. The railway system dates back to the British colonial era, when it was first built to tra ...

, and as a child he lived at the Malaysian Railway quarters adjacent to the Caltex station on

Jalan Ipoh Jalan Ipoh is a major road in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The road is named after the city of Ipoh in Perak. Its English name is called ''Ipoh Road''. History Jalan Ipoh obtained its name as the one and only road leading towards Ipoh from the cit ...

in Kuala Lumpur. He studied at a Chinese vernacular primary school and then went on to attend the Methodist Boys' Secondary School in Sentul until Form 3. After dropping out from school, Botak Chin worked as a fishmonger at the market at Jalan Tun Ismail (formerly known as Maxwell Road). After his mother's death, he often spent time away from home, with his friends who were the local hoodlums that eventually led him to commit petty crimes. He joined a gang named Gang 360 (Sam Pak Lok), and he was impressed by the firearms possessed by the gang members. On 19 April 1969, Botak Chin and two of his friends took part in a robbery for the first time. At the age of 18, he proudly owned his first firearm, a .22 calibre revolver. He then formed his own gang shortly thereafter and proceeded to engage in robbery sprees.

Crime sprees

Botak Chin engaged in eight robberies within a month in 1969. This led to his first arrest; he was convicted and sentenced to prison for 7 years. He was released before serving out his sentence and resolved to retire from gangsterism. However, his attempt to become clean and sell vegetables was unsatisfying financially; and he returned to crime.

Personal life

Dr. Mahadevan, the former director of

Tanjung Rambutan Tanjung Rambutan ( Jawi: تنجوڠ رمبوتن; ) is a small town in Kinta District, Perak, Malaysia. It is on the Ipoh to Butterworth railway line, at the now-defunct Tanjung Rambutan railway station. It is located approximately 12 kilometers ...

Mental Hospital in

Ipoh Ipoh (, ) is the capital city of the Malaysian States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Perak. Located on the Kinta River, it is nearly north of Kuala Lumpur and southeast of George Town, Penang, George Town in neighbouring Penang ...

Perak Perak (; Perak Malay: ''Peghok'') is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kel ...

, treated Botak Chin for 19 days to determine if he was adequately sane to stand trial. He found Botak Chin to be highly intelligent – but a "misguided genius".

References

External links

Sinar Harian: Secret of Botak Chin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Botak Chin 1981 deaths 1953 births Malaysian gangsters Executed Malaysian people People from Kuala Lumpur People executed by Malaysia by hanging Executed gangsters