Bail denied over firearms

POLICE have slapped additional charges on the suspected Malaysian illegal firearms dealer in Milne Bay’s Alotau for allegedly having an assortment of 553 rounds of ammunition, Commissioner David Manning says.
“The expatriate businessman Huong Haw Chin, 62, will appear in court tomorrow morning (today),” he said.
Comm Manning said Huong, from Sarawak’s Sibu, was denied bail because there was no provision for it.
He told The National that the man had been denied bail because there was no provision for bail.
“He was arrested and charged with two additional charges for possessing 553 rounds of ammunition found in his residence and supermarket Great Jadi Ltd,” he said.
“He is charged under Section 65A (a) of Firearms Act.
“After Huong was charged with possessing two unlicensed firearms and ammunition, he was told that he needed to provide the necessary documentations or some form of receipts for the big number of ammunitions of different calibres.
“He has to verify and prove that all the ammunitions were genuinely purchased from a recognised licensed firearms/ammunitions dealer.
“Huong did not return to the police station with the necessary documentations or some form of receipts for the ammunitions after he was released on a police bail of K5,000 by acting provincial commander.
“However, on Monday, Huong returned to the police station with his lawyer, upon police request to confirm that all the confiscated firearms and ammunitions were his properties.
“He refused to sign and told police that he would be talking and discussing with his lawyer first before signing the police indemnity receipt.
“Police were also accused by Huong of placing several 12 Gauge shotgun cartridges in a small green camouflage waist-bag and for wrongfully charging him for being in possession of ammunition.
“Police asked Huong for documentation or some form of receipts to verify where he bought the ammunitions but he did not want to tell police.
“This morning, Huong was arrested again and charged with illegal possession of the ammunitions.”
Police in Alotau explained to Huong that he would have to prove to the court that all the ammunitions were genuinely purchased from a recognised licensed firearms/ammunitions dealer.
The defendant was further told that all his firearms and the firearms licences were now under police investigation.
Huong was cautioned, informed of his Constitutional Rights under Section 42 (2) of the Constitution, told of the reason for his arrest, told of the additional charges and detained in a police lockup.