Don’t forget!
Time to pay our respects, and stand up for justice.
Firstly, don’t forget the gathering at the Kelana Jaya Stadium, 4.30pm, Sunday 18th July to commemorate Teo Beng Hock’s passing.
Picture someone took at Masjid Jamek:
One of the strange aspects of the story is why Teo would have decided to stay on in a place where he was made to endure such a terrible experience, even at 4am.
The testimony of Tan Boon Hwa, who I think is the last known person to have seen Teo alive, is revealing. Three things worthy of note: how abusive his own interrogation was, the fact that he was held overnight, and his observations of Teo at 6am:
Tan said that the two officers who questioned him tried to extract false confession from him, pressuring him to deny that he supplied 1,500 national flags for a Merdeka function at the Sri Kembangan state constituency.
During the interrogation, Tan said the officers used the ‘good cop, bad cop’ technique; initially being polite but later switching to verbally abusing him and making him to stand for four hours between 10pm to 2am.
Tan was questioned on the same day Teoh Beng Hock, the political secretary to Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hean Wah, was also interrogated by MACC.
According to Tan, he was threatened with physical violence, with one officer pointing to his forehead and allegedly saying, “You don’t lie. This is my place. I can hit you. Believe me!“
During interrogations, he said other officers would randomly walk into the room to mock his poor command of Bahasa Malaysia and used derogatory terms such as “Cina bodoh” (stupid Chinese) and asked him if he was a Chinese citizen.
The worst intimidation, Tan said, were threats to his family which he described as “mental torture“.
“They said that if I don’t ‘tell the truth’, they will take away my wife and there would be no one to care for the children. But I did not give in,” said Tan, during a press conference at the Selangor state secretariat today.
He was allowed to sleep on the carpeted floor and the interrogation continued the following morning.
To top it off, when he was released the following day at about 1.30pm, Tan said he was asked by MACC staff not to make an issue over their interrogation technique.
When asked, Tan said he did not know that Teoh was in the same building when he was brought there. The duo met only when Tan woke up at about 6am the following day while on the way to the toilet.
“He was in the pantry. I greeted him, but he replied only with a ‘Umh’. But when I came out of the toilet, he was gone. He did look a little tired,” said Tan.
The MACC says that Teoh was released at 3.45am yesterday but he chose to “stay back and sleep on a couch, where he was last seen at 6am.”
Very strange. I guess we can conclude that he was alive at 6am.
The MACC say he was released at 4am, but Tan on the other hand, was allowed to sleep but still detained by the MACC, as interrogations continued the next morning.
Would it be reasonable to conclude that Teo was also in fact still under MACC detention? That he was not released, but ‘allowed to sleep,’ just like Tan?
I suppose it would make more sense than Teo being allowed to leave at 4am, but inexplicably deciding to stay on.
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The public should also be given full access to the notes from Teo’s interrogation – given the circumstances of his death. The longer this is delayed, the more likely they will be tampered with.
His handphone, in police custody, which might reveal important information, can also be easily tampered with.
The torn pants did not concern me much at first, but they now seem curiouser and curiouser.
The autopsy report will be the next big development. But once again, credibility becomes such a crucial issue.
*
Whatever the odds, we must continue to apply pressure for the truth to be made known. Failure to do so after Altantuya and dozens upon dozens of deaths in custody unaccounted for will condemn our children to a government of murderers.
This week, a woman was widowed, a child deprived of his father forever. How many more?
While we are still reeling over Teo, there has been another death in custody, via Susan:
A suspected drug addict collapsed while having his finger prints recorded at the Narcotics Division of the Sentul Police District Headquarters here today, and died when being rushed to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital, Sentul police chief ACP Zakaria Pagan said.
He said R. Gunasegaran, 31, collapsed between 6.45pm and 7pm, and was pronounced dead at 7.40pm at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital.
A police officer tried to administer first aid but Gunasegaran did not respond, he said.
“After the effort failed, he was sent to Kuala Lumpur Hospital but was pronounced dead upon arrival by a medical officer. We believe he died while on the way to the hospital,” he told reporters at his office, here.
Zakaria said a post-mortem revealed that death was caused by drug intoxication, and the case was classified as sudden death.
“No force was applied on him or on any of the other detainees. They were undergoing a standard interrogation process,” he said.
Zakaria said the inspection by the medical officer at the hospital found no injury on the body of Gunasegaran and that this was confirmed by a magistrate.
Here we face the exact same problems as we do in Teo’s case.
As established earlier, “standard interrogation process” tends to involve massive amounts of abuse.
Secondly, in the aftermath of A. “died from drinking water” Kugan, who in the public trusts these anonymous government “medical officers?”
Once again, I’m willing to give the benefit of the doubt – maybe Gunasegaran did die from a drug overdose. But in this atmosphere of such doubt, such lack of transparency, and most of all: from a history of abuse, I cannot help but still harbour suspicions.
The 7 arrests at the Friday morning MACC protests were utterly unwarranted.
But they weren’t even the only arrests that day. From Suaram:
SUARAM has been informed that 5 activists have been arrested in relation to a protest at the Thai Embassy and handover of a memorandum entitled, “Memorandum Opposing the Brutality in Southern Thailand”.
The first 3 persons were arrested at Jalan Ampang at 2.30pm today as they were walking towards the Thai Embassy. They started off from Bangunan Tabung Haji and headed towards the Thai Embassy but as they passed by Balai Polis Jalan Tun Razak they were blocked by police and the 3 persons were arrested. The 3 persons will be brought to IPD Sentul.
Another 2 persons were arrested at Bangunan Tabung Haji at around 3.30pm. They are being brought to IPD Dang Wangi.
Those identified to be arrested in relation to the Thai Embassy protest are:
1. Lee Song Yong (DEMA Secretary of National Affairs)
2. Mohd Shafie
3. Mohd Fiqtriey al-Haqimiey @ Kecik
4. Farid Hamlut
The last I heard, these four will still detained.
Here we have a multi-ethnic group of students trying to protest violence done against Muslims in Southern Thailand, and for their trouble? Jail :|
Release them now!
Let’s start with those attacking politicians for “jumping to conclusions,” “racialising the issue,” “stirring hate against the authorities,” and insisting that we “wait for a full investigation.”
There is only one major problem.
Can we trust the investigators?
A. Kugan died in police custody from “drinking water.” Choong Soy Soy died in police custody after “slipping in the toilet.” Francis Udayappan “escaped prison, jumped into a river, and died” (how he was beheaded is yet unknown).
A racial issue? What about Adi Anwar, who was beaten half to death?
Is this really the first case of abuse involving the MACC? Or do they have a reputation for abuse?
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has lodged a report to counter allegations that an Umno division leader was assaulted by MACC officers during detention.
Earlier, the 46-year-old division leader from Maran, Pahang, reported that he was punched in the head, shoulder and stomach during his four-day remand in Kuantan.
He also claimed that he was forced to strip naked, lie and roll on the floor besides being asked to do squats and sing the national anthem repeatedly.
In his report, he also claimed an officer pressed him against the wall and threatened to arrest his wife and ask her to strip if he refused to confess that he had handed money to Umno members.
Also, Simpang Renggam Municipal Council administrator:
A Simpang Renggam Municipal Council administrator has accused Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission officers of physically abusing him during an investigation into a bribery case.
The 29-year-old alleged he was blindfolded, punched, kicked and had his clothes removed while held in a dark room for 12 hours by MACC officials here on Tuesday.
“I was told to remove my ring and wrist watch. They used my tie to blindfold me and took me to a room.
“There two officers questioned me about a working trip to Bandung, Indonesia, organised by contractors in April. I told them I did not know anything about this trip, and this was when the beatings began.”
Zul, who came to the New Straits Times office here yesterday, alleged that the officers at one time removed all his clothes and forced him to lie on the floor before one of them stepped on his shoulders.
He claimed he was taken to an officer’s room where he was told that he was the main witness in a bribery case they were investigating. “One of the officers warned me not to reveal what had taken place during the interrogation.”
Are we seeing a pattern? Let’s not forget that MACC probably consists largely of ex-cops.
The most pertinent question: So many incidents. Any single arrest for abuse of power?
Not a *single* law enforcement officer has been arrested, charged, or tried for inflicting grevious bodily harm.
To those talking about selfish politicians exploiting this death, I kindly request you take a reality check.
In honest to God truth, I don’t know what happened to Teo Beng Hock.
But I have read enough about how his lawyer M Manoharan (the recent ISA detainee who last spoke to him) said he was composed and well, how his boss YB Ean Yong Hian Wah said he had been calm and how distraught his fiancee was to consider suicide an extremely remote possibility.
Even in the very unlikely event that Teo threw himself out of the window, I don’t think anyone will believe that it didn’t have something to do with what the MACC did to him from 5pm to 3.45am.
It’s simply a case of credibility. Maybe if the unsolved deaths and abuses above were resolved to the greater satisfaction of the public, we might believe what the MACC and police have to say on this matter.
Under the circumstances though, Malaysian law enforcement has time and again forfeited all credibility and transparency. The public outcry at this is not due to some dumb politicians trying to make a quick profit. It’s due to a chronic history of abuse of power and lack of accountability.
Again, who knows what happened. RPK has one possible version. Zorro writes of possible torture and suspicious lack of blood. Maybe he was killed and thrown out the window. It’s all hard to say.
I just wish we had a more credible police force investigating.
Unless there is a true amount of transparency and clear proof regarding this case, public discontent will only continue to rise.
I’ll see you at the solidarity gathering at the Kelana Jaya stadium this Sunday at 4pm. Also possibly a vigil tonight, but I’m looking for confirmation of that and will update here if anything.
I should have been with comrades in Shah Alam :( I believe the crowd is now dispersing.
Anyway, here’s some info from Malaysiakini and various Facebook on what happened at the gathering at the MACC building to protest Teo Beng Hock’s death.
- YB Gan Pei Nei beaten on the head by cops while trying to intervene for
- Lu Chuan Boon, dragged 30 meters while seated
- YB Elizabeth Wong pushed to the ground by cops, trampled on. Had to grab one of their legs, and saved by supporters
- YB Manickavasagam and YB Xavier Jeyakumar among roughly 7 arrested.
It’s horrible.
Trying to do more research on the case.
Jul 162009
I can’t go, please represent me.
Clearly, something truly disturbing happened here. If the authorities try to pass this off as suicide or any such nonsense, there will be hell to pay.
Won’t write much now, waiting for details, but deepest condolences to Beng Hock’s family :( :(
Ong Jing Cheng and Yap Heng Lung were released on Tuesday (thank goodness!) and the former has published an account of his ordeal.
While I have not located any “other versions” of the story, I must say that everything below indicates trends extremely consistent with these types of arrests as observed over the past few years (I just checked the top of my computer, confiscated as evidence during my arrest, and the police liquid paper notation says 13/7/07 – making this date a ‘popular’ one for arrests :P )
I have interspersed the BM statement below w/my comments in English. I know it’s long, but do at least look through at least the bolded and italics for instances mentioned in the post title.
Pengalaman saya ditahan oleh pengawal keselamatan UM dan polis yang tidak profesional
Saya Ong Jing Cheng dan seorang kawan saya nama dia Yap Heng Lung telah ditahan ketika kami dalam perjalanan ke API (Akademik Pengajian Islam), Univerisiti Malaya untuk berjumpa kawan yang belajar di UM pada jam 8 malam, 12hb Julai 2009. Kami pergi dengan motorsikal tetapi rosak di kolam renang, pusat sukan, kami terus berjalan kaki ke destinasi. Kami disuruh oleh seseorang yang garang dan tidak beruniform, mengenali diri sebagai pengawal keselamatan di depan surau API (Akademik Pengajian Islam).
Pengawal bercakap dengan suara garang untuk meminta kad pengenalan saya. Saya berasa takut orang yang tidak kenal dan garang, saya cuba minta identiti dia, tetapi dia menunjuk identiti dengan menutup nombor dengan tangan, namanya Izaham. Oleh kerana dia menutup nombor, saya rasa lagi takut dan mahu terus masuk Akademik Pengajian Islam untuk berjumpa kawan, tetapi dia tidak benarkan kita jalan, selepas itu, dua orang yang tidak beruniform turut sampai, ini telah menyebab kami lagi takut.
I hate high and mighty, power-tripping security guards :P
Selepas itu, kawan kami Redzuan dan Aizat keluar jumpa kami, dan buktikan kami memang ada temujanji, tetapi kami tidak tahu apa sebabnya mereka masih cakap kami sebagai penceroboh. Saya rasa takut dan meminta bantuan polis dari balai polis lembah pantai. Tidak lama kemudian, polis beruniform datang dengan kereta polis, mereka meminta kad pengenalan kami, kami terus beri dan bekerjasama dengan polis, termasuk membuka beg untuk polis.
Seterusnya kami dibawa ke tempat letak motosikal kami, saya ditanya polis tentang lakaran memorandum bertajuk jadikan jaya raya kami selamat (Making Our Streets Safe) yang terdapat di bakul motosikal saya bawa, dimana menulis kepada Perdana Menteri Najib, Kementerian Dalam Negeri dan ketua polis. Walaupun saya telah menjawab kepada polis itu ialah kertas untuk mengelap kotoran motosikal, dan saya telah menggunakan untuk rantai motor, penuh dengan minyak hitam.
Apabila kami dibawa ke balai polis, kita mendapati polis memang tidak profesional. Kami ingin melaporkan situasi yang telah berlaku tetapi tidak dibenarkan. Polis pula menahan kami atas laporan yang dibuat oleh Izaham. Ini adalah dwistandard. Melapor kepada polis adalah hak asasi setiap manusia.
Setelah kami ditahan, kami diminta tanda tangan satu dokumen tanpa penjelasan, tapi apabila saya baca, ini ialah documen yang penafian hak-hak untuk mendapatkan bantuan peguam, dan nasib baik peguam telah sampai di balai polis dan menyuruh saya tidak tanda tangan juga. Bantuan peguam juga sebagai hak asasi seorang manusia.
Ketika pegawai inspektor (IO) suruh polis membawa kami ke lokap, kami meminta buat laporan polis, dia cakap kami buat buat laporan polis esok pagi. Tetapi hari esok iaitu 13hb Julai, kami terus dibawa ke Majistret untuk meminta sambungan. Kami diminta disambung 4 hari oleh pihak polis atas nama tidak bekerjasama dengan polis. Adakah tidak menanda tangan surat penafian hak-hak mendapat bantuan peguam ialah tidak bekerjasama? Akhirnya kami disambung 2 hari.
Grrrr. I don’t know which is worse – the fact that cops try to make you sign a document forfeiting your rights to legal counsel, or that they are so stupid as to think you’d actually sign it. The same thing happened in Brickfields at the Wong Chin Huat vigil incident.
Selepas balik dari majistret, kami terus dibawa kepada balai polis brickfield dan tidak diberi makanan tengah hari. Kami meminta makanan tengah hari, tetapi polis cakap tiada makanan di balai polis brickfield, makanan hanya dibekal di lokap. Kami dibawa ke balai polis brickfield adalah diambil keterangan oleh pegawai inspektor (IO). Waktu tu saya meminta teman peguam untuk mengambil keterangan, tetapi tidak dibenarkan atas sebab malam 12hb julai kami sudah jumpa. Ahkirnya kami masih memberi keterangan.
Denied food?!?!??!!??!?!? >:(
Pada 14hb Julai pagi, kami dibawa untuk berjumpa cawangan khas, kami diasingkan dalam soal siasat. Mereka menanya saya maklumat peribadi, akli keluarga ada terlibat dalam mana-man politik parti. Selain itu, mereka nampak macam sangat tertarik dengan sebab saya jumpa kawan saya Redzuan. Oleh kerana itu hak peribadi, saya tidak memberi tahu.
This is so stupid. “Criminal trespassing” suspects need to be interviewed by the Special Branch :| I think this is the height of tak lain kerja.
Selain itu, mereka juga memberi keterangan tentang perhimpunan menyalakan lilin (candle light vigil) ini ialah budaya kristian, saya disuruh google good Friday untuk maklumat yang lebih lanjut. ISA ialah akta yang perlu untuk menjaga keamanan, tetapi ISA ialah akta yang terakhir untuk digunakan, dan memberi nasihat supaya tidak menghadir himpunan mansuhkan ISA pada 1hb Ogos ini. Kalau hadir, kemungkinan besar akan masuk balik lokap.
O_O So candlelight vigils are a no-no because they are… Christian? :| And confirmation of this can be found by…… googling Good Friday? Knowing what Google is, Cops = +1, Thinking that googling Good Friday will provide proof that candlelight vigils are a Christian tradition, Cops = -100.
Atas usaha yang dibuat oleh orang ramai termasuk rayuan segera (urgent appeal), menelefon pegawai inspektor (IO) kami dan perhimpunan menyalakan lilin (candle light vigil) pada 13hb Julai malam, kami telah dibebaskan tanpa bersalah. Saya tengah fikir, polis yang profesional harus menyiasat dan mendapat bukti barulah menagkap, tetapi kami telah ditangkap baru disiasat, ini telah menyebabkan kami ditahan 2 hari, kehilangan kebebasan 2 hari. Polis harus lebih profesional ialah menyiasat sebelum menangkap supaya rakyat tidak ditahan bersia-sia.
Fully agree – investigate then arrest, not arrest then investigate!!!!
Selain itu, polis juga menangkap pembantu siasat sekali apabila menangkap orang yang disyaki. Terdapat beberapa kes dalam lokap yang kami jumpa. Seorang didapati memilik dadah maka empat orang lagi teman serumah juga ditahan. Kami juga menampak satu kes dimana seorang budak disyaki mencuri, tetapi nenek, ibu dan 5 kanak-kanak lagi juga ditahan termasuk seorang yang berumur 1 tahun. Saya berasa kesian atas kejadian yang saya nampak.
I concur with his observances. Police lockups are full of people arrested for the stupidest reasons. I can’t believe they’ve got grandmothers and one year olds in jail!!
Di samping itu, kedua-dua malam saya dalam lokap, kami berjumlah 20 lebih orang tidur dalam satu ruang yang kecil, dan saya terpaksa tidur dekat dengan tempat buang air kencing, mandi dan bedak. Pengaliran air itu tersumpat, bau memang cukup kuat dalam lokap itu.
Sebelum kami dibebas, polis meminta maaf dengan kami, dan bagi tahu mereka bukan orang yang suka menangkap orang, saya rasa kemungkinan besar mereka juga mengikut arahan atas yang sangat mengambil berat tentang kawan yang saya mahu jumpa iaitu Redzuan, Pengerusi Majlis Perwakilan Mahasiswa, dan lakaran memorandum kepada Perdana Menteri baru kami, YAB Najib yang baru dapat kuasa 100 hari pada 11hb Julai. Seorang lagi pegawai inspektor (IO) bagi tahu API (bukan Adademik Pengajian Islam) panas pada malam Ahad yang saya ditahan, saya sempat jumpa dia pada hari yang dibebas iaitu 14hb Julai, tetapi dia tidak jawab soalan saya, api siapa panas?
Ong Jing Cheng
Secretary of Administration
Malaysia Youth And Students Democratic Movement(DEMA)
012-7583779
Time for Pakatan to be on their toes, wouldn’t you say?
Even taking into consideration extremely fishy occurrences, The PAS majority would likely still be in the 3 digits? That’s slim, and that’s cause for significant soul searching.
Already the pundits are taking out their knives, and I don’t have anything profoundly original to add.
I only hope the wake-up call is well heeded, along with the surge in Najib’s popularity.
I echo concerns that infighting is wounding Pakatan severely.
I’ve written before that we cannot but expect politicians to be serve their political interests first.
The degree to which putting self interest ahead of the groups interests of late however, leaves much to be desired, to say the least.
In Malaysian politics, the cycle tends to be that every 10 years or so, a serious threat to BN emerges. But they then adapt and reconsolidate.
If Pakatan wants to avoid falling a victim to history, I think more needs to be enforced from the top.
Anyway. I know it’s easy to hit people when they’re down. My loving hope is still to see an end to BN rule, and I want to sincerely keep pushing towards making that possible.
In the meantime, tahniah to the new YB Mohd Fauzi Abdullah, and to the team that made his election possible.
To Pakatan as a whole, I cannot help but reproduce more Auto-tune the News, with special attention to the last section, parodying Michael Jackson’s lawyers tirade about how we may one day just “wake up dead” :P
