New Bern Sun Journal (Newspaper) - February 18, 2001, New Bern, North Carolina Sun Journal, New Bern, N.C. Sunday, February IS, 2001 Cli The Associated PressGob Chee Meng, left, takes aim at a masked gunman at a Video Games center in downtown Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Oct. IO, 2000. Public opinion has turned dramatically against arcades in recent months amid claims by many parents and government officials that moral values have plunged among teen agers and young adults. RECYCLE T.O.M.A.® IS COMING TO NEW BERN. MODEL A NEW LOOK AT A GREAT PRICE KUALA LUMPUR. Malaysia (AP) — Goh Chee Mcng takes aim at a masked gunman raging toward him and lets three shots rip from his rifle. “Got that one!” the 23-year-old sales executive cries, just before a torrent of barrels comes crashing at him out of nowhere, and the words "Game Over” flicker across the fading screen Goh sighs and moves on to the next machine, determined to savor every game in the video arcade before such centers are zapped out of existence in Malaysia The government, which had ordered arcades to shut by early December then relented, is still pushing to put them out of business Public opinion turned dramatically against arcades in recent months amid claims by many parents and government officials that moral values have plunged among teen-agers and young adults. Some academics blamed the increasing popularity of violent video games for a surge in school crimes last year, including stabbings and students setting fire to classrooms They also said arcades lure teen agers to skip school and waste their allowances Meanwhile, police argued that many of the dark, smoky game centers function as a front for gambling and money laundering. Newspapers reported on one 15-year-old schoolboy who owed 6,(HK) ringgit nearly $l.b(M) to an arcade owner after spending hours playing horse racing games Reports of violence around the arcades intensified the public outcry. In September, one man was slain and his girlfriend wounded in a gang fight at an unlicensed arcade. At other outlets, teen-agers said they had been accosted by dag ger-wielding thugs demanding cash. Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, this Southeast Asian nation's No 2 leader, is spearheading the campaign to close the b ming businesses, calling arcades a “danger ous and large social problem ” “We can impose a ban and it will not be a problem," he said. A government order issued Oct. 4 gave arcades across Malaysia until Dec. 4 to cease operations. Hut when the deadline came, the government backtracked under pressure from arcade opera tors who insisted their businesses are legitimate Authorities now say legal arcades can keep operating until their licenses expire, but will have to shut down then Licenses run from one to five years Police still raid unlicensed outlets, regularly confiscating thousands of slot machines worth millions of dollars. There are K4 legal arcades just in Kuala Lumpur, the country's capital and largest city, but thousands of unlicensed ones thrive across the country. Critics of video parlors haven't let up The Utusan Malaysia, regarded as the most influential newspaper among the majority ethnic Malay Muslim population, has likened the campaign against arcades to a "jihad,” or holy war “Commit yourself to this jihad, as many victims (of these arcades) arc Muslim teen-agers, possibly your own children." the newspaper advised parents in an editorial Other entertainment outlets could come under attack The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, an opposition movement that espouses government by Islamic law, wants authorities to shut down karaoke lounges for promoting free mingling between men and women The party contends that most young people in Kelantan. a northeastern state where it governs, remain pious, uncorrupted Muslims because it has banned video arcades there in 1991. Opponents of the arcade crackdown call it an attack on clean fun. "This is entertainment for us. It’s just like going to the movies or bowling or listening to music,” /amal Abdul Sallch. a university student. said at the Sega Satellite Video Arcade in a Kuala Lumpur shopping mall. “What is the next step? Will the government try to ban multiplexes and record stores later?" he said. Such a move is unlikely, although some parents have urged the government to exercise stricter censorship on violent material. The latest album by the American rapper Lminem. noted for its misogynistic lyrics and brutal imagery, is one of the best-selling records in Malaysia this year Teen-agers regularly purchase pirated video CDs of R rated Hollywood movies for $1.30 each at roadside bazaars. 9/16 Melissa if a girl 9/17: Joshua if a boy 9/18 Rebecca if a girl 9/19: Michael if a boy 9/20: Jennifer if a girl 9/21: Peter if a boy . ---**»••> _■* Mi UTI - "*'*•* ^ IT'-- '•’V Choosing mutual funds isn t easy. But your most important decisions have never been made alone. 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