KUALA LUMPUR: Dozens of young Malaysian men hurtle through late-night city traffic on small motorbikes in a race that could easily end in death.

It's a typical Saturday night in cities and towns across the country as thousands of bikers, calling themselves Mat Rempit (hell riders), take to the streets, racing at up to 160 kph and performing hair-raising stunts.

A split-second misjudgement can be fatal while weaving through cars and trucks at such speeds, but these youths run this risk every weekend in the hope of winning money or a girl for the night but, above all, the respect of their peers.

Mat Rempit is a fraternity of jobless and lowly paid men for whom cheating death is a path to glory, a way of earning respect.

"They are in their own world," said Abdul Azeez Rahim, a leader of the youth wing of Malaysia's main ruling party, which has tried to engage Mat Rempit with an outreach programme. "They will die for each other."

Mat Rempit, in their trademark tight blue jeans, do more than race. They also risk death or serious injury with stunts like the reverse wheelie riding downhill on only the front wheel and the "superman," hurtling along while lying flat on the bike.

"It is exhilarating to race down a road. All I need is just a few ringgit for fuel and I can have the time of my life," courier Amir Fairuz said as he prepared for an illegal street race on a recent Friday night.

Mat Rempit races can also turn violent. Recently, a 21-year-old man was killed after two groups of Mat Rempit clashed over a minor accident during an illegal race in Kuala Lumpur. Last year, bikers clubbed a motorist to death.

Rozmi Ismail, psychology lecturer at Malaysia's Universiti Kebangsaan, met some 100 Mat Rempit for a study into the subject. He attributes their behaviour to a "show-off" culture.

"Some of the Mat Rempit are school dropouts. They are bored and they need to find cheap thrills," he said.

There are an estimated 200,000 Mat Rempit, some as young as 16. Most are factory workers, couriers and office assistants, many earning about 1,200 ringgit (US$333) a month or less. They ride on small Yamahas or Hondas, often with girlfriends on pillion, and race under their respective "clubs" whose names include "Kamikaze" and "Apache."

With Malaysia's hell riders now on the big screen, police are frustrated at what they see as the glorification of Mat Rempit.

The authorities, declaring an all-out war against the menace, plan to tighten laws to enable the police to seize the machines. But Abdul Azeez says new laws are not the answer. The party has instead called on the sports ministry to provide race tracks so that Mat Rempit can at least move off the streets.

(China Daily 12/06/2006 page13)