Justice For Batang Kali

It happened a long time ago, when Britain was struggling to maintain its dominance in the world.

There was a major war going on. The British wanted to maintain its hold on all its colonies, but in Malaya, the Communist insurgency was proving to be quite a challenge.

Britain eventually lost its power and status, but its sins have come back to haunt it.

It was a time when some lives were more important than others.

It was a time when some lives didn't matter at all.

The people of Batang Kali suffered because of this mentality.

A 14-man Scots Guards patrol was tasked with interrogating the villagers about communist guerrillas operating locally.

Given that no answers were forthcoming, it is very likely that said villagers had no information and probably were not cooperating with and/or helping the communists.

Yet 24 civilians were killed in cold blood.

The British, in the past, turned a blind eye to it, never properly having investigated the incident - for political reasons.

But this time, the Supreme Court is going to hear the case and have the witnesses tell their side of the story.

It's about time. It really is.

Related:
The Independent - Batang Kali killings: Britain in the dock over 1948 massacre in Malaysia
The Guardian - Malaya inquiry to hear from survivors of Batang Kali shootings by British troops

National Farm

Sadly, that poster is relevant to almost every country on this planet.

You stand up and make that difference.

Be proud to be Malaysian.

I know I am.

Ferguson

No, this post is not about the highly successful long-time manager of Manchester United.

Nor is it about the female singer of Black-Eyed Peas.

Not even the Duchess of York.

This is about a small suburb in Missouri, USA, that I had no idea existed - until an unarmed young black man was brutally and fatally shot by a white policeman.

His body was left on the ground for a few hours, as the authorities were deciding what to do with his body, and how to explain his unwarranted and cold-blooded execution.

The young, black victim was a huge boy, possibly not wealthy, not particularly good-looking, but he showed promise academically.

Michael Brown had graduated from high school and was headed for college. His killing aggravated the people of Ferguson who went berserk and started rioting.

Interestingly, this was not unlike the Tottenham riots in London, which were sparked by the police killing of a young bi-racial man, Mark Duggan, whom the police later accused of being an armed drug dealer.

Drug dealer or not, Duggan was found to be unarmed, when the police fired their bullets into him. However, amidst all the confusion, the police attempted to make it sound like the man had a gun and had fired at them.

From Wikipedia:

After the shooting, the media widely reported that a bullet was found embedded in a police radio, implying that Duggan fired on the police. Friends and relatives of Duggan said that he was unarmed. The police later revealed that initial ballistics tests on the bullet recovered from the police radio indicate that it was a "very distinct" police issue hollow-point bullet.

The IPCC later stated that a loaded Bruni BBM blank-firing pistol, converted to fire live ammunition, was recovered from the scene. It was wrapped in a sock and there was no evidence that it had been fired.

On 13 August, the Independent Police Complaints Commission admitted that Duggan did not open fire, stating, "It seems possible that we may have verbally led journalists to [wrongly] believe that shots were exchanged". The bullet that had lodged in an officer's radio is believed to have been an overpenetration, having passed through Duggan's body.

Why am I not surprised that the police always justify their shameful actions by vilifying the victims?

The police in Ferguson are attempting to do just that.

They began by releasing CCTV footage that shows a large, black man (allegedly the victim), stealing cigars from a convenience store.

Now I find it inconceivable that a young man with plans to go to college would want to steal. What more, cigars!! If he stole stationery, I could understand. Mind you, not condone, but understand.

If he stole clothes or money, there might be some logic to the story. Even cigarettes might be explained.

But cigars?

If Michael Brown was indeed the belligerent-looking man who shoved the store-keeper aside as he angrily walked out, it appears that there may have been a story behind it.

What transpires, however, is that the policeman, Darren Wilson, had no idea what Michael Brown was guilty of, if indeed, he had shot him for a criminal offence.

It is more likely, that Darren Wilson had shot Michael Brown because Wilson was on a power trip over which Brown - being educated - was unimpressed.

The interesting thing is that eye witnesses have come forward to say that Michael Brown had raised his hands in surrender and said, "Don't shoot."

An autopsy corroborates this claim, as all the bullets were fired into his front, meaning he was facing his killer when he was shot.

Despite surrendering, he still got gunned down by the inhumane policeman.

In America, being black is a very high risk factor that could easily lead to fatality.

But as Malaysians, we are in no position to moralise. Malaysian police are just as trigger-happy.

We also come from a nation that has a very high rate of death in custody.

The MACC killed Teoh Beng Hock and then accused him of committing suicide. I have yet to encounter anyone who believes that.

And as of 2010, there were 1805 deaths in custody.

The death of Teoh Beng Hock was an aberration and most likely a mistake by the MACC. Because in most instances, the deaths are those of Indian men.

These Indian men share the same demographics with men who are killed all over the world by "law enforcement", be it in the USA or UK: they are poor, non-professional and dark-skinned.

I am sick of the injustice.

I am sick of people behaving like human life does not matter.

I am sick of nations claiming to be first-world and developed, but displaying all the symptoms of a third-world country.

If America has any shred of decency, it should bring the filthy, disgraceful cop to justice.

Zombie Run In Malaysia

Just over 3 years ago (how time flies), I wrote a somewhat tongue-in-cheek post about zombies, being brain-washed and death-in-custody.

All the puns you'll ever need are in there.

It came about because the Australians (it's always their fault, isn't it?) had organised a Zombie Walk to raise money for the Brain Foundation.

I had no idea that it would take root in Malaysia.

After all, Malaysia is a conservative, Muslim country, where zombies are considered a deviation from Islamic teaching.

But to my surprise (though not horror), some Malaysians actually organised and held it in a “creepy jungle” at Canyon Paintball Park, Bandar Utama. It has been described as a cross between an obstacle course and treasure hunt.

Now if you had the social and political activist types (like yours truly) organising this, we'd have every single atrocity committed by the ruling coalition up on display.

I am talking Altantuya Shaariibuu (pregnant model), Teoh Beng Hock (groom plunging to his death from a few storeys high), and all those men and women who died in police custody.

The Malaysian political scene surely has more zombies than any government ever needs.

Even the American government.

Negligence

If you've forgotten who Kugan Ananthan was, this should refresh your memory.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 — The mother of A. Kugan, the detainee who died in police custody, will take the stand at the High Court here on Friday in her RM100 million suit against Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar and four others for alleged negligence and breach of statutory duty.

Justice Datuk V. T. Singham was informed today that other than N. Indra, 44, lawyer N. Surendran would also be called as a key witness during the trial.

Plaintiff's counsel, L. Bani Prakash also informed the court that the plaintiff faced difficulty in serving a subpoena on forensic pathologist Dr Prashad Samberkar of University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) who carried out the second autopsy on Kugan's body.

He said Dr Prashad's contract had expired and he had returned to his country of origin, India, in early October.

However, the subpoena had been served on UMMC's head of forensic department, Assoc Prof Dr Nazarina Abdul Rahman, he added.

Justice Singham told Bani Prakash that he should have been more proactive in recording Dr Prashad's statement while he was in the country or sought the court's assistance on the matter, since the pathologist's testimony was crucial to the plaintiff's case.

Will this be justice served?

Do Malaysians Care About Wrongful Deaths?

He was 29 years old.

He lived in North London. Just last week, on the 6th of August, he was fatally shot by the Metropolitan police.

He was by no means an innocent angel.

Mark Duggan was an alleged cocaine dealer and member of the 'Star Gang'.

His biggest mistake was to be carrying a gun - something that is relatively rare in the UK.

His friends and family held a vigil in protest over his shooting. Over 200 people gathered.

Unfortunately, this led to riots and subsequently, looting in a minority community which was already seething over the wealth discrepancy in London and what they perceived as police bullying.

Mark Duggan was not the most upstanding citizen in the neighbourhood, but his death was not tolerated by the community.

In another country far away, two young men (who were not entirely upstanding citizens either) had their lives snatched a few years earlier.

One was Kugan Ananthan, and the other Gunasegaran Rajasundram. They were in their 20s to 30s - very much like Mark Duggan.

But unlike Mark Duggan, very few mourned their deaths. Another life gone was not to be despaired over - after all, there were already 1805 deaths in custody, so what was another?

In fact, some even went to the extent of saying, "We work for our living, we don't cause trouble, avoid crime and make the best of our lives in Malaysia. Not like Indians. Get involved in crime, have massive protests and threaten the government and the police."

The fact that police are senselessly killing Malaysian citizens does not worry the average Malaysian. Or does it?

Driven To Suicide?

I'm really very curious to know who in Malaysia actually believes that.

Teoh Beng Hock was not a criminal. He had nothing to hide. His boss Ean Yong was cleared of any wrong-doing.

Moreover, he was due to be married the next day to the woman who was carrying his child.

NOTHING, and absolutely NOTHING in my opinion, would have driven him to suicide.

The RCI can conjure up anything, but the public know the truth.

Protest Over MACC Custodial Death

The protest organized by SUARAM was to be held at 10am in the MACC office in front of Hotel Grand Blue Wave in Shah Alam over the death of the customs officer.

However, the police have cordoned off the road. As usual.

There were some pro-BN freaks with banners telling PR to get lost. Word is, they were arrested.

The crowd should have subsided by now, but keep it mind if you’re heading out to lunch in the area.

Not Suicide, Not Homicide, Then What? Accident?

A lot of people are disappointed with the outcome but a bigger number appear to have expected that the MACC would go scot free.

Logically, it is shocking that there could be absolutely no evidence of what had really happened.

In a tight-security place like the office of the Anti-Corruption Commission, it is a little hard to believe that there were no security cameras, no CCTVs that could have shed some light.

My deduction is, those cameras actually spell the truth in over a thousand words and could potentially seal the fate of the MACC and consequently the government.

So all that footage had to be disposed off before it got into the wrong hands. It is entirely possible that the CCTV cameras were dismantled and put away for good measure.

Even if there was no homicide, there was a lot of wrong being committed over an insignificant little "corruption" case that no one really knows about or cares.

Evidence from expert witnesses showed that Teoh had suffered a pre-fall injury on the neck, which could have caused the deprivation of oxygen to his brain, resulting in loss of consciousness or disorientation.

It begs the question: Who inflicted that pre-fall injury? And why? Is that standard operating procedure in a Malaysian interrogation?

And yet, the coroner said, "After evaluating the evidence of the pathologists, I find that there is no sufficient evidence to confirm beyond reasonable doubt that this pre-fall injury did in fact facilitate, result or contribute to Teoh's demise."

Perhaps there may indeed have been insufficient evidence.

But I think in the minds of most Malaysians, the fact that even the coroner was unable to absolve MACC from its pre-fall guilt speaks volumes.

The Teoh Beng Hock Inquest

Apart from a dismal (though amusing) performance from the MACC, nothing much has developed from the Teoh Beng Hock inquest.

Perhaps there isn't enough pressure on the government.

Anyway, lawyers from both sides will make their submission at the next session, the coroner will deliver his verdict after the submission and the inquest should end soon.

Date : 17 Dec 2010 (Fri)
Time : 9:30am
Venue : Room 5, Shah Alam High Court


All Malaysians - the Teoh family, you and I - have been asking for the truth for Beng Hock, and thus your attendance at the inquest will be a strong support to Teoh family to continue to seek justice.

Selvach Held Under ISA??

We all know the BN government is stupid, but to put the witness who implicated police in the R Gunasegaran death-in-custody inquest under ISA?

I grow more and more in awe of BN stupidity each day.

First, the witness was arrested in a violent manner in full view of other witnesses. Then he was slammed with trumped up drug charges.

Evidently nothing could hold water.

And when all else fails, bring in the Internal Security Act.

Related:
Time to walk your talk, people. Selvach needs us now. Will you be there for him?

Death By Natural Causes In Malaysia

In Malaysia, death by a bullet discharged from the firearm of a trigger-happy policeman is now fast becoming 'death by natural causes'.

On 26 Apr 2010, Aminulrasyid Amzah was shot after he tried to flee a roadblock. He did not stand a chance. The 15 year old was killed immediately.

Granted, the kid had no drivers licence and was a menace on the road. But his car was riddled with 30 bullets. No pun intended when I use the term 'overkill'.

On 17 Oct 2010, five foreigners were shot dead after they were suspected to be robbers. Say if two were killed and three injured, there may be some semblance of 'law enforcement'. This reeks of cold-blooded murder.

On 16 Nov 2010, Ho Chei Hang was shot 4 times by plainclothes police officers in Kepong. Yet he was charged for 'attempting to murder' the police officer who had shot at him from behind!

On 13 Nov 2010, Mohd Shamil Hafiz Shapiei, was shot dead at about 4am on a street in Glenmarie in Shah Alam, Selangor. He was about a week away from turning 16.

Makes you wonder - at this rate, how many people exactly have been killed in this manner? Take a look at the government statistics:

A total of 279 suspects have been shot dead by the police between 2000 and 2009, while 147 died in police lockup during the same period, revealed Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein today.

For a country with a population of 28 million, those are not very positive numbers. Cast aside the fact that I don't trust the government and believe the numbers may be higher.

What is frightening is the perpetrators are those who are supposed to be protecting us.

These days, they either shoot citizens point blank or stand by as others inflict violence on their fellow citizens - check out this video I saw that shows how people take the law into their own hands.

The policeman on the right stands by and does nothing

If you don't even have a twinge of conscience while reading this, may God have mercy on you for stepping back and doing nothing as these atrocities continue to be committed in broad daylight.

The Teoh Beng Hock Inquest

Remember how the last session of Teoh Beng Hock's inquest went?

Please attend and support his family. Your presence will make a difference.

Date: 14/10/10 (Thursday)
Time: 2pm
Venue: Shah Alam High Court

Lawyer Gobind Singh will interrogate witness about the ‘note’.

If you have any queries, please call Yap Hwa at 012-2658448

Remembering The Deaths In Custody

Flowers for Those who Died in Custody

Date: July 16, 2010 (Friday)
Time: 7 pm
Venue: KL Bar Council car park (Behind the Annexe Gallery)

Go HERE for more info.

Related:
Some of the deaths in custody.
Francis Udayappan - A Death In Custody Brushed Aside
Kugan Ananthan - See What They Did To My Son
Teoh Beng Hock - He Jumped Off The Roof
R Gunasegaran - Rest in peace, Guna
P Babu - Sawmill Worker Becomes Latest Death In Custody

Sawmill Worker Becomes Latest Death In Custody

Grief usually overwhelms.

It does not give advance notice.

It does not ask for permission.

It hits you right in the solar plexus and watches with casual disinterest as you crumple to your knees.

The loss of a loved one, the aftermath of a natural disaster, the end of a relationship - they all usually leave you grieving.

So it is with a heavy heart that I wonder - does anyone grieve over the death of the orphaned, 28 year old sawmill worker who was found dead in the police lock-up in Jempol, Negeri Sembilan?

P Babu was under remand since Jan 24 after he surrendered himself to the police over a robbery case.

Today, they say he committed suicide.

Like many others before him, he is now a statistic in the long list of deaths in police custody.

And no prizes for guessing that he was of Indian descent. We have almost come to expect it of the authorities.

Perhaps a few politicians from the Opposition raise hell.

I hope the police Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan would investigate how custodial deaths happen and why it is more prevalent among the Indian suspects. He has to explain.

- PKR Negeri Sembilan deputy chief M Ravi

But not enough to impact anyone - not you, not the government and certainly not the police.

From Francis Udayappan to Kugan Ananthan, over a thousand deaths have occured, but every single incident has been brushed aside to make way for "more important" news.

Which makes me wonder again who grieves for these men who die needlessly because they were not important people, and their lives mattered so little to the rest of the world.

2009 In Malaysia

My apologies for not being online more often. Real life has been biting hard. And it's already the end of the year.

I won't say much, but I just want to leave you with this video clip.



May 2010 bring better days.

The Social Impediment

I watched as the young, barefoot Malaysian boys battled it out in their game of football.

With the exception of a few tufts of grass, some stray, misaligned tiles, and a manhole, it was largely a level playing field. All the boys were about of the same height and build even.


To some, it may look like a bleak situation - the boys lived in a run-down rumah panjang meant to be temporary housing. It was located just on the outskirts of the city that is host to the majestic Petronas Twin Towers.

Their ignorance is bliss.

For alas, when they grow older, they will discover (if they haven't already) that they possess a little but not insignificant impediment: they are of Indian descent.

It is no longer a level playing field.

In this country, there are countless deaths in custody, the majority of them being Indian men.

More recently, 5 Indian men were shot dead by the police - merely under suspicion of being involved in criminal activities.

Helen Ang, in her bold but exceptionally relevant article Why we haven’t thrown that slipper pierces my conscience for being part of the motley crew of Malaysians that does nothing to stop this violation of human rights.

In Malaysia, some dark-skinned men are deliberately made to be less equal than others. Malaysian authorities who shoot to kill do not believe that ‘suspected criminals’ possess any unalienable right to life, never mind the too hopeful “pursuit of happiness”.

Successive BN governments have not addressed the root problem of the Indian community’s chronic socio-economic ills – why the gangsterism and involvement in criminal activities. It’s not just Indians who are neglected with no opportunity for social mobility; the itinerant pirated DVD seller – almost always Chinese – is also on the wrong side of the law.

It's not just the Indian men who suffer and die, but somehow the entire community is affected as well.

In the case of R Surendran, his sister Seetha, overcome by grief, ingested weedkiller and offered it to her 4 children as well. She has since died.

Again, Helen in Sad road to Seetha's suicide observes that:

For most of us, we lose our loved ones to old age or they succumb to natural causes. For the Tamil underclass like Seetha, death can visit a male sibling in a hail of bullets or occurring in the police lock-up. This comes about due to the chronic socio-economic deprivation of the community.

So, no, those comfortable armchair critics of Seetha can't even begin to comprehend her anguish and the perennial dark cloud hanging when one is mired in poverty. Her father is a security guard; her husband a lorry driver. Both are low status and low pay jobs.

In other words, the Indian community is finding itself unable to cope.

Seriously, what do we need to open our eyes and that of our fellow Malaysians?

Getting Away With Murder In Malaysia

People in developed countries find our stories hard to believe. Only we Malaysians know that what goes on in our country is real.

I am aware that many deaths are politically motivated but even I was stunned to discover the staggering number of them that are simply swept under the carpet.

It especially irks me when they mysteriously get classified under the Official Secrets Act.

You'll have to read this article from Asia Sentinel. And then cry for what we have become.

Beating Around The Bush

I don't read the mainstream media, but a friend pointed this article out:

SHAH ALAM: Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) counsel Datuk Abdul Razak Musa caused a stir at the Teoh Beng Hock inquest yesterday when he questioned why the deceased was lodging with a woman friend and her family instead of living with his brother Meng Kee.

“His brother lives in Shah Alam and he (Teoh) works in Shah Alam. So, why did he stay with another woman instead of with his brother? The whole country wants to know this," said Abdul Razak.

Actually no, I really couldn't care less where Teoh was staying. I just want to know for sure why and how he was killed.

When Being Questioned By Authorities...

... there are some important things to bear in mind.

From Aliran:

OCT 3 — With the periodic reports in the press of people dying while in police custody or at MACC premises, it would be wise for all Malaysians to do the following should they be called in to give statements as a witness or as a suspect for any crime.

The recommended actions are as follows:

1. Determine at which station you are required to give your statement (as witness or suspect);

2. Immediately proceed to any other police station. Do not go alone — go with a friend, preferably a lawyer. You just can’t be too careful;

3. At this other police station, make a police report stating that:
i. You are currently having no problems (social, personal, business, financial, etc) and do not intend whatsoever to commit suicide (e.g. perhaps by jumping down 14 storeys just to see if you can fly or because of too much questioning throughout the night) while in the police/MACC premises;
ii. You are of good health and do not suffer from any chronic disease or injury that could cause a (or actually your) sudden death;
iii. You have no bruises nor swollen organs before going in to give your statement. In short, you have a clean bill of health;
iv. That should you be found dead in the lock up or while in custody or anywhere in the premises of the police/MACC — to please suspect foul play;
v. That you want to leave the premises of the police/MACC once it is past 6pm and if you do not leave, that means you are held against your will in the said police/MACC premises where they are “taking” or “making” your statement;

4. Upon making the said report, to give a copy to your lawyer friend while you keep another copy in your top shirt pocket;

5. You and your friend must now part company and go separate ways;

6. Only then should you proceed to the police station or MACC office to be “interviewed” by the police/MACC interrogators;

7. Upon meeting up with the police or MACC interrogators, immediately hand them the police report from your top shirt pocket and tell them that another copy is with your lawyer. (Make sure this lawyer friend is no longer with you at this point; otherwise no more copy-lah, as he too will be “called in” to give his statement.)

Now all the above is so important as it is all done in the hope that they (police and MACC interrogators) will be “nice” to you and thus you are able to leave the premises in due course on your own steam (walking out by yourself) and not be carried out in a body bag or taken on a stretcher to the hospital ICU.