MCA president Ong Ka Ting today absolved several of the party's Youth leaders from further blame and disciplinary action for their roles in the fracas which broke out during the wing's annual general assembly two years ago.

Ong said the MCA central committee, which met this morning, felt that the Aug 3, 2001 incident was an "unfortunate experience" and a "painful lesson" for all party members and should be put to rest.

"Having considered further explanation by Tee Keat in the presidential council and having considered the report on and the circumstances of the incident, the central committee decided that no particular person, including Ong Tee Keat, Lim Hong Sang and Yew Teong Look should be held responsible for the whole incident," he said at a press conference at the MCA headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

The Aug 3 fracas has been a thorny issue for the party over the past two years, particularly with the intensification of the party rift between two rival factions, labelled Team A (led by former president Dr Ling Liong Sik) and Team B (led by Ling's estranged deputy Lim Ah Lek).

The Youth event had been marred by a bomb hoax and fights. Subsequently, this episode became the basis for an explosive claim by Tee Keat ( left ) that the MCA was infiltrated by triads.

Tee Keat was absent from the meeting this morning as he is said to be on "official duty" abroad.

New Youth leaders

To further reconcile the party's Youth faction, Ong said the central committee during the four-hour meet this morning decided to appoint Youth leaders for Penang, Negeri Sembilan and Wilayah Persekutuan.

Ooi Chuan Aik and Tan Yok Cheng are appointed chairperson and deputy chairperson for Penang, Foo Ming Chee and Loh Seng Kok for Negeri Sembilan, as well as Han Chin Pheng and Tee Poh Ping for Wilayah.

"All these leaders are endorsed by consensus. They should function normally and have unity again," he said.

The chairperson and deputy chairperson posts for the Youth wing in these three states have been left open since earlier this year as the rival Team A/Team B factions could not agree on the candidates.

The incumbents had to leave their posts as some were above the 45-year age limit for Youth members. However, new leaders could not be elected due to the suspension of party elections until 2005 as an outcome of the peace plan brokered by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Nine-year limit

Meanwhile, Ong also announced subtle changes in the central committee's proposal for term limitation for party leadership posts, setting the barrier at a nine-year maximum as opposed to a three-term limit.

Ong said the central committee decided to change the wording of the proposal for the motion to be raised at the party's annual general meeting, scheduled for Aug 10, in order to overcome any possible confusion over the actual time period constituting a proper term.

"We want to set it at one term being equal to three years otherwise there would be confusion when the term of the president starts or ends.

"We came to an agreement that instead of depending on luck - some people may have six years while others may have ten - we must make this clear. It is nine years for anyone who can get re-elected," he said.

Ong clarified that instead of applying the rule only from 2005 when the next party election would be held, as earlier proposed, the central committee has agreed to propose for the new rule to be applicable with effect from the present leadership term.

"Assuming that I can get re-elected another two (consecutive) terms, even then, I cannot go beyond May 22, 2012. For (MCA Wanita chief) Ng Yen Yen and (Youth chief) Ong Tee Keat, it will start from 2002," he explained.

Ong and his deputy Chan Kong Choy were appointed as party president and deputy president respectively on May 23 this year following the resignation of former party leaders Ling and Lim.

This position is a marked departure from a proposal two weeks ago by the MCA presidential council for the tenure limitation to be applicable only to a president elected by the general assembly. This proposal would have excluded the two years Ong would have served until the 2005 elections.

'Jackie Chan' resigned

On another matter, Ong confirmed that suspected triad leader Ong King Ee, also known as 'Jackie Chan', has tendered his resignation letter to the party following a controversy over his position as a chairperson for the party's Gurney Drive branch.

"His letter was submitted to the headquarters via Penang state MCA chairperson (Wong Kam Hoong) and we have accepted the resignation.

"From now one, we consider this issue closed. Whatever personal problems that he has will be dealt with by the police," he said.

Ong said the letter was presented today to the central committee and that it was accepted by all leaders.

"From now on, we have decided not to talk about this issue anymore. Let us be positive. There are so many other bigger things to do," he added.

Over the past two weeks, Ong came under strong attack after he admitted knowing King Ee's past as a suspected triad member before appointing him to the MCA branch leadership post.

Arrested under EO

Meanwhile in another development, Bernama reported that highly-wanted King Ee has been arrested under the 1969 Emergency Ordinances after he had surrendered to the police this morning.

The report said that King Ee had surrendered to the police in a secret location in Kuala Lumpur before he was transferred to the custody of the Penang police who had issued a warrant of arrest for him.

The Emergency Ordinances allows the police to detain King Ee for 60 days without having to take him to the court.

State police chief SAC II Wahab Ahmad was quoted by Bernama as saying that the police will seek the decision of the Home Ministry concerning further action after the 60-day detention period.

"We will investigate his involvement in criminal activities including in the area where he has been (hiding) all this while," he said.

King Ee was put on the police "most wanted" list two weeks ago for allegedly trying to revive a secret society in the north which has been implicated in previous crimes of murder, drug trafficking, kidnapping and robbery. He was then suspended from the party.

The revelation appeared to support earlier claims by Tee Keat that the MCA was infiltrated by triads. However, this has since been thrown into confusion when Tee Keat withdrew his claim.