GEORGE TOWN, Penang – A Malaysian police band set social media alight with a video that showed them singing the Cantopop hit number Hai Kuo Tian Kong, popularised by Hong Kong rock group Beyond.
Dressed in police uniforms, the all-Malay band, simply called NEPD (North East Police Department) Band, sang the song in flawless Cantonese at a shopping mall in George Town, Penang.
The band played the music live on their instruments, and from what was seen in the video, they delighted the audience, with many people singing along and then giving the band a standing ovation at the end.
The 5min 40sec video was recorded on May 1 at Gurney Plaza, a popular shopping complex in Penang.
The band performed the opening act at Be Smart, Stay Alert, Let’s Fight Scams, A Crime Prevention Programme, an event organised by the George Town police contingent headquarters, the Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) and non-profit organisation Lions Clubs International District 308 B2.
Hai Kuo Tian Kong (Boundless Ocean, Vast Skies), which extols the joys of personal freedom and the pursuit of dreams, was made famous by Beyond in 1993.
In 2022, it became the first Cantonese song to be played more than 100 million times on YouTube.
Among those present at the event were Assistant Commissioner Soffian Santong, the officer-in-charge of the George Town police district; Lions Club district governor K.K. Loy; state MCPF chairman Ong Poh Eng and his secretary Johnny Michael Tan.
Mr Tan said the objective of the two-hour event was to create awareness about scams.
“What we did was explain to the public to be careful and not fall victim to scams,” he said.
On NEPD Band’s opening act, Mr Tan said it was meant to be a crowd-puller.
“They did very well. Hundreds of shoppers stopped to see their performance,” he said. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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