I blogged on this two years ago when I mentioned:
Tan Sri Siti Norma Yaakob, the Chief Judge of Malaya, has expressed her deep concerns that 80 deaths in police custody occurred between January 2000 and December 2004 – that’s an average of 20 people dying per annum while in police custody, or almost a frightening 2 per month for 4 continuous years - but only 6 inquests, less than 10% of the deaths, were even held.
The Chief Judge has been troubled that in some instances, deaths occurred hours after detention. As an example, mechanic Alias Othman was detained at 10 pm on March 22 allegedly for causing a disturbance at a mosque in Bachok, Kelantan, but just a mere 5 hours later, he was very very dead.
Siti Norma wants answers why so many people had died under such circumstances.
She demanded to know why police had seen it fit to decide that inquests were unnecessary in 22 cases of such deaths. ...
In fact, the Criminal Procedure Code specifically makes it mandatory to have inquests into deaths under police custody.
Yet the IGP has not addressed this unacceptable omission, a violation of the Criminal Procedure Code. The IGP must be held responsible and accountable for his failure.
Two years later we have a similar tragedy, the murder of A Kugan while in police custody.
In the midst of alleged police criminal act, with no less than the Attorney-General, Gani Patail classifying Kugan's death as murder, Malaysiakini reported in its Syed Hamid: Don't see criminals as heroes, cops as demons that the Home Minister had alluded to Kugan as a criminal.
Yes, Syed Hamid had the brazen cheek to contrast the late (murdered) Kugan as a criminal against the police (accused of causing his death) as heroes.
And trust the Home Minister not to understand that a man is innocent until proven guilty.
De facto Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang was humongously incensed (and we share with him his outrage) at the shameless mindless insensible police minister in attempting to ameliorate the terrible circumstances leading to a death in police custody, which the normally recalcitrant AG had even been moved to officially classify as a murder.
In Malaysiakini Something wrong about Syed Hamid Lim blasted the Minister:
"Malaysians, like people all over the world, do not regard criminals as heroes and the police as demons."
"But when a minister responsible for the police makes a shocking statement of this nature, it reflects that something has gone very wrong both with the police force and the home minister with regard to the most basic of government duties – to keep the people safe and to uphold law and order."
Then Lim said what I told a sweetie last night: "Even if Kugan was guilty of the crimes alleged, the police cannot take the law into its own hands and continue to pile up the shocking statistics of deaths in police custody."
Remember poor Francis Udayappan whom I blogged in Was Udayappan Beheaded After His Death? some two years ago?
A grief-stricken mum
He too died in police custody (notwithstanding police excuse that he had died while escaping).
On April 2008 I also blogged on Secret executions in Malaysia? where I commented:
… though I agree with the deputy IGP that technically there had been no secret executions, there were nonetheless killings in police custody.
What had occurred with some very very unfortunate people, particularly Indians, had been the suspected (maybe unintended but nonetheless terrible) manslaughter or even murder of several whilst they were brutalized in police custody.
And these horrendous alleged police killings are publicly known to be a frightening 80 people in a period of just over four years.
The RMP interrogators have a notoriety of beating up suspects severely and brutally, leading to a couple of deaths. That’s police draconian f*ups which would then be allegedly covered up by the police and their professional associates.
However these deaths in police custody are openly known and have been alleged by many as acts of police murders, which are yet to be satisfactorily resolved.
We most certainly need the IPCMC, but please, not a watered down version. Malaysiakini has reported on this issue several times over.
Well, Malaysia Insider reported in A mother shares Kugan family grief that Francis Udayappan’s mum, Sara Lily George attended Kugan’s funeral.
Francis Udayappan was only 23 when he died in police custody, whilst Ananthan Kugan was just a mere 22.
For Sara, it has been the most painful déjà vu to see yet another young man needlessly and criminally murdered in the Most Dangerous Place in Malaysia.
what? most dangerous place is the lock-up? do you know how many are incarcerated there every year? how many have died? 80 over 4 years? whats the percentage? miniscule isnt it? police is just doing their job fine as the % of death is still very very small.
ReplyDeletethats syed hamid for you!
There was almost no crime during the Jap occupation for the simple reason that captured criminals were hideously tortured and then executed in public. Perhaps our Botak Minister (uncanny resemblance to Tojo) is trying to emulate the Japs.
ReplyDeleteThe solution to this problem has already been proposed by RPK.
ReplyDeleteGet rid of the top 300 cops in M'sia and replace them with a mixed bunch of highly qualified persons on a strict MERITOCRACY basis!!
These are the people who have mismanaged the Police and have been too busy amassing wealth instead of concentrating their efforts developing a World Class Police Force.The have shown no leadership qualities whatsoever.
As for the lack of mandatory inquests into custody deaths, sack the Home Minister, IGP, AG and actual or de facto Minister for Law. There is no place anywhere in the world for those who persistently sleep on the job!!
http://donplaypuks.blogspot.com
talk is cheap, what can a mere malaysians can do other than wait until the next general election. and don't expect p-r would sing different tune after they took over the administration.
ReplyDeleteipcmc is good, but who knows it will become another like aca/macc - you scratch my back, i scratch yours....
I have been vocal in my support for the IPCMC, and still am.
ReplyDeleteLately I've been looking around, sniffing the air, and realising that the corruption and deformity in this country's moral fabric goes much, much deeper than that.
I'm reserving my judgement, and still hoping for the best, but I have a sneaking suspicion the "energized" so-called independent MACC is at risk of mutating into a powerful tool to persecute regime opponents or those who are "not in the good books".
Given the depth of depravity eating at Malaysia's moral foundation, the IPCMC could well go the same way.
When you can't even trust a government pathologist to do a proper autopsy and write down an honest cause of death, without fear or favour, who can you trust ? Nobody.
I'm too old to ever think of living in another country, but so many of our youngsters may be making the right decision - is this country beyond redemption ?
Even kicking out BN at the next GE may not help at all. There are too many like-minded people on the PR side...
'Pagar makan padi' has lost its meaning in our context. You see the 'pagar' has eaten so much 'padi' that it has become fat. Now this 'pagar' is well protected and continues to become fat and now plays a different role.Ramalx
ReplyDeleteBN Government 'cheen chnea tork' (extremely vile)
ReplyDeleteThousands attended this "Historic" event of the funeral & burial of the late Kugan - "Insignificant" to the Powers-that-be...but the Anak bangsa Malaysia mourned for him & for "Justice".
ReplyDeleteMy deepest condolence to his family.
In the final analysis, my take is that those persons were “Instructed” to eliminate people who either knew the “Real Truth”, were a “Threat” to the “Powers-that-be or were “In the way to OBSRTUCT the execution of a BIG DEAL” {Luxury Car Theft Syndicate) & it would appear to be almost the same as the Altantuya case. They could have done the “PI Bala” strategy, but would not have removed the threat permanently!
Enough has beeen said about the “Poor & Unfortunate” victims in this Bolehland’s “Law of the Jungle” & may Altantuya, Kugan & the many others’s soul FINALLY rest in peace with my deepest condolence to their families.
What goes round will come around to “Haunt” the pepetrators of these “Unnecessary & Brutal” assassinations !
Sad to see this great nation Malaysia administered by the British Tuans, then handed over to the Malaysian TUANS under Bapa Malaysia Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra & his Malaysian cabinet of TRUE TUANS managing the system of Wesminster style Democracy & with the Rule of Law in 1957, getting “Hijacked & Betrayed” by the “Elite UMNO Ketetuanan BEGGARS” in 1969.
For 40 years, instead if teaching their own kind to “Learn to catch their own FISH”, they took the easy way out to maintain their “False” sense of Security & Power by using the “Ketetuanan (BEGGAR)” policy - you vote UMNO, we give you “Fish” & the rot set in to what it is today & the beat goes on....!
For the others, "Either you are with us.....or else....you will be "MIA or Eliminated". Period.
This great nation, its assets & its Anak Bangsa Malaysia have been abused for the last 40 years by these “Moronic Idiots & their Goons” through “Gutter Politics” & the “Law of the Jungle”.
Through “Devine” intervention, UMNO, its Leaders & their Lapdogs are now “Destroying” each other with their “Power & Greed”.
Every new day will be another “New Revelation” to reveal the “Truth” in its Self Destruct motion towards its “Demise”.
Just give them enough rope to “Hang” themselves at every turn in their “Final” chapter.
May God bless, guide & protect this great nation, its remaining assets & its Anak Bangsa Malaysia forthwith.