say they are stringent with push back against negative epithets Clan associations memberships,

Alarm bells went off in Mr Yeo Hoon Chong's head when he was invited to meet three businessmen at their downtown Chinese restaurant three years ago.

- Chin Soo Fang

The trio, who were from Anxi county, offered to donate funds to the Singapore Ann Kway Association in exchange for honorary titles in the clan association. Mr Yeo, who chairs the clan association, turned down their offer as membership is open only to Singapore citizens and permanent residents of Anxi ancestry. Honorary titles and committee membership are reserved for those with a good track record and years of contributing to the association, which marked its 100th anniversary last December.

He suspected that the businessmen had offered him the quid pro quo to gain quicker access to local citizenship or permanent resident status. Mr Yeo, 67, said he invited them to join Ann Kway's monthly lunch sessions instead, but they showed no interest.

Following police revelations of the billion-dollar money laundering case here, some clan association leaders have expressed relief at having kept out questionable characters from their organisations, but also disappointment over the broad-brush characterisation of people who hail from Anxi.

In August, in one of the biggest anti-money laundering operations here, the police arrested 10 foreigners nine men and one woman aged between 31 and 44 - and have since taken control of more than $1.8 billion in assets.