KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - People who frequently borrow from Ah Long (loan sharks) may have their identities exposed by their family members on television.

MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Michael Chong said he was directed by Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein to help with these cases.

The victims will be interviewed by Chong and it will be shown on all local TV channels.

'These habitual gamblers keep on borrowing from Ah Long and when they cannot settle their debts, they put their families in trouble. Fed-up with having to settle the debts, the families have decided to expose these borrowers to deter them from borrowing from Ah Long,' said Chong.

The number of Ah Long cases increase every year, he said, adding that until May 26, the department had received 321 complaints.

'There were 250 cases in 2005, followed by 503 cases in 2006. In 2007, the number increased to 529. Last year, we received 626 complaints.'

However, he expected a drop in the number of cases following the ministry's enforcement action conducted with the police, local authorities and media.

'Following the enforcement, many Ah Long have gone into hiding,' said Chong.

On June 22, Hishammuddin visited Jalan Haji Taib, which is one of the hotspots for Ah Long, and met with seven victims.

Five were family members of the borrowers, who had suffered harassment from Ah Long, due to the borrowers' inability to settle the debts.