Former Selangor Menteri Besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo may end up facing two legal suits for claiming that gangsters "close to DAP Selangor" are protecting the interests of illegal sand miners in the state.

Selangor DAP and state executive councillor Ronnie Liu have warned that they may file separate suits for criminal defamation if Khir cannot furnish evidence to back his allegation , going as far as to tell him to "shut up".

NONE Selangor DAP secretary Lau Weng San ( left ) said Khir had gone too far in accusing the state DAP of having links with gangsters.

"We challenge him to provide evidence. We don't want hearsay, no SMSes, no flying letters. We want evidence with names, companies, which illegal sand miners they (gangsters) are protecting... also give us the locations," Lau told a press conference at the state secretariat in Shah Alam today.

He gave Khir until noon tomorrow to provide evidence, failing which Selangor DAP would give him another 24 hours, until noon on Sunday, to retract his allegation and apologise.

Liu was also livid over the allegation, which Khir said was based on claims made by Wangsa Maju MP Wee Choo Keong.

The Pandamaran assemblyperson said even if Khir did not name him as the gangster "link" to DAP, it was obvious as his office was the only one visited by police last year to investigate Wee's allegation.

"After Wee Choo Keong made the claim, police officers from Bukit Aman came to my office and took away my log book. They also interviewed two of my personal assistants and a clerk in my office.

'Shut up if you don't have the guts to name me'

"If he is referring to me, he should say so. If he does not have the guts to say my name, then Khir Toyo, shut up," Liu said.

NONE Pressing on with his attack, Liu challenged Khir ( right ) to prove that illegal sand mining had indeed gone down during his eight-year tenure as menteri besar, as Khir had claimed.

"Illegal sand mining was so rampant that former Menteri Besar (Muhammad) Muhammad Taib set up an enforcement unit, called the ‘Blue Gang' because of their blue uniforms.

"Their duty was to catch sand thieves and at that time, there were 80 SUK (state secretariat) enforcement officers put on duty, but when Khir took over he brought the number down to just 12.

"If he is serious about catching sand thieves, why did he ask the enforcement officers to leave? He crippled the power of the Blue Gang... he is lying," Liu said.

Both Lau and Liu said they would consult with their lawyers before making their next move.

Lau noted that apart from a legal suit, they may also file a police report against Khir for criminal defamation.