Thursday, August 02, 2007

Police Brutality

Does this image look familiar? Well, the last time I saw anything like it, it marked the birth of a new political party, Keadilan. However, it appears that police brutality has not been eliminated off the force much less their ability to respect our basic rights.

Mr Tung Ket Ming, through a relative, took his case to the DAP to complain about police mistreatment. On 18th July, I accompanied Tung to Sentul Police Station to lodge his police report on what happened to him. I spent some 7 hours to assist him to draft his report with my rusty Bahasa Malaysia as well as meeting various officers, where Tung was further questioned by investigating officers. His case was reported in the Chinese dailies, as well as Malaysiakini.

As explained in my Chinese column in Oriental Daily, Tung did not have the support of outspoken political parties and non-governmental organisations behind him to ensure that he remained fairly well-treated while in remand. In contrast, without belittling the intimidating experience Nathaniel Tan underwent, Tung suffered serious abuse by his police handlers.

I displayed Tung's photo to the audience during the forum "No Police State in Blogosphere, In Solidarity with Nathaniel Tan" not to make light of Nat's experience, but to emphasis the fact that for everyone like Nat, there are probably tens of others who have been subjected to serious injustice like Tung.

Tung, who allegedly committed an armed robbery in a mobile phone shop, was arrested at his house, taken to 3-4 different locations and beaten senselessly in each of those locations to extract a confession. He was punched and elbowed in the face, he was whipped with a rubber hose on his soles, his legs, his head and his neck. The police handlers even presented him with flying kungfu kicks. See the full police report below.

And twice when he was presented to the magistrate for remand, he was granted his wish to see a doctor, which was denied by the police in clear contempt of court upon his return to the lock up. Instead on his final evening in the cell, he was taken to a room of 6-7 police officers, including and particularly his investigation officer who was apparently in his 20s, assaulted him again for reporting that he was mistreated by the police to the magistrate.

Photo taken the day after he was released on bail

Tung and his wife was frightened out of their wits about making the police report for they feared further retributions. We had to convince them that the best course of action is to ensure that the report is made and the press alerted to ensure that their case will be taken up by the higher authorities and they will be protected from further uncalled for harrassment. For a few nights after he was released on bail, the couple dared not return to their own house for fear of retribution!

I have since accompanied Tung for 2 sets of identification parade at Sentul Police Station and at the KL Police Headquarters (last Friday and this Monday). He has since identified 5 of the perpetrators. We now await for the Police to take further actions.

This brings me to the question of the setting up of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC). Informal chats with the officers in-charge of this case have demonstrated clear difficulties they have in carrying out their tasks for the simple reason that they are stuck between a rock and a very hard place. By acting scrupulously against his fellow police officers, it'll only bring about feelings of discomfort while attempting to make light of the offence will bring injustice to the victim.

If not for the fact that a major political party is pursuing the case, backed by reports in the media (particularly the Chinese media), it will not surprise many if the case is just swept under the carpet.

Where is the IPCMC which was strongly recommended by the Royal Police Commission and what has happened to Pak Lah's repeated promise that it will be set up to ensure a disciplined and efficient police force? Nathaniel's some-kind-of-screwed-up-joke arrest and detention, Tung's inhumane beatings while under remand proves beyond doubt that an IPCMC is absolutely vital to ensure that the very people we have entrusted to preserve law and order in this country, our Royal Police Force are themselves competent, law abiding officers.

Or certainly, a police state, both in blogosphere as well as our physical world will be an inevitable outcome.

The Police Report is as follows:
Repot Polis Bertarikh 18/7/07

Saya, bernama Tong Ket Ming (I/C) beralamat () ingin menyatakan yang berikut:

  1. Pada 9/7/2007 lebih kurang pukul 8 malam, 3 orang yang tidak dikenali tanpa uniform telah menggari saya dari alamat di atas dengan secara ganas. Mereka juga kata adalah anggota polis dan menuduh saya terlibat dalam satu kes rompak dengan senjata api pada 28/6/2007.

  2. Mereka paksa saya mengaku kes rompak tersebut tetapi saya enggan.

  3. Seterusnya, mereka membawa saya ke Balai Polis Rawang untuk sekejap masa dengan kereta Pajero berwarna putih bernombor WKN 8234.

  4. Selepas itu, saya dibawa ke Balai Polis yang tidak dikenali di mana saya dipersoalkan di dalam bilik. Pada masa itu, saya diminta mengakui kesalahan, muka dan kepala saya ditumbuk secara keras dengan tangan dan siku oleh ketiga-tiga polis. Perut saya juga ditumbuk secara kuat dengan tangan dan disepak dengan kaki. Apabila saya cuba menghentikan seksaan tersebut, saya dipukul sekali lagi. Muka saya bengkak dan cedera parah. Mulut dan hidung saya juga berdarah.

  5. Selepas itu, saya dibawa ke Balai Polis Selayang, di mana saya dipersoalkan sekali lagi dan diminta mengakui kesalahan. Apabila saya enggan mengakui, saya diseksa sekali lagi. Kali ini, selain daripada ditumbuk, ketiga-tiga polis yang sama memukul kepala, leher, kaki dan tapak kaki saya dengan saluran paip getah berpuluh-puluh kali.

  6. Selepas itu, saya dipindah ke Balai Polis sentul dengan kereta yang sama. Di Balai Polis Sentul, saya diserah kepada pegawai siasatan (“IO”) dan seorang lagi anggota polis. Saya dipersoalkan sekali lagi, diseksa dan dipukul secara keras seluruh badan dengan tangan, siku, saluran paip getah dan kaki terutamanya oleh IO. Saya juga ditendang dengan cara “kungfu” - “flying kick”. Kesemua ini dijalankan di dalam bilik tertutup.

  7. Selepas itu, saya dibawa ke bilik membuat laporan awam dan diminta duduk di atas lantai di hadapan orang ramai. Satu pegawai polis menaip satu laporan (statement) dan selepas itu menyuruh saya menandatangi laporan tersebut. Saya enggan menandatangani laporan tersebut kerana saya langsung tidak boleh membaca dan tidak faham kandungan laporan tersebut. Pegawai tersebut naik darah dan menendang saya secara kuat di hadapan orang ramai. Oleh kerana saya dalam keadaan kesakitan teruk, saya menandatangani laporan tersebut.

  8. Pada pukul lebih kurang 3 pagi, saya dibenarkan menelefon bini saya oleh pihak polis.

  9. Pada malam itu, saya tidur di atas lantai dalam lock up.

  10. Pada pagi 10/7/07 saya dibawa ke mahkamah majistret Jalan Duta dan di remand polis selama 7 hari. Di hadapan hakim, saya meminta saya dapat menjumpai doktor kerana saya kesakitan teruk. Muka saya pun bengkak blue-black dengan teruk sekali. Hakim berkata bahawa dia akan memerintah pihak polis supaya membawa saya ke hospital untuk rawatan. Akan tetapi, saya tidak dapat menjumpai seorang doktor pun.

  11. Pada 16/7/07, sekali lagi saya dibawa ke mahkamah yang sama di mana saya di remand sehari lagi. Apabila hakim menanya kenapa muka saya bengkak dan cedera, saya kata saya dipukul CID. Saya meminta supaya saya dapat menjumpai doktor dan sekali lagi pihak hakim setuju meminta polisberbuat sedemikian. Akan tetapi, sekali lagi, permintaan saya tidak ditunaikan.

  12. Sebaliknya, pada petang 16/7/07, IO membawa saya dari bilik lock up ke sebuah bilik yang lain di mana ada lebih kurang 7 orang lagi anggota polis sedia menunggu. Dalam bilik tersebut, saya dipukul, ditumbuk dan ditendang sekali lagi dengan keras oleh pihak polis dalam bilik tersebut, terutamanya IO dan seorang lagi anggota polis yang tidak dikenali nama. Mereka kata bahawa saya dipukul kerana mengadu ke atas pihak hakim tentang kelakuan polis. Selepas saya dipukul, IO membagi amaran kepada saya bahawa dia akan menyuruh orang luar (bukan polis) mengancam saya bila saya keluar balai polis.

  13. Pada malam tersebut, isteri dan brother-in-law saya tidak dibernarkan berjumpa dengan saya.

  14. Pada petang 17/7/07 lebih kurang pukul 4, saya dijamin oleh isteri saya, ().

  15. Saya meminta supaya pihak polis dapat menjalankan kawat cam (identification parade) dengan segera.
Sometimes I wonder, if he had gone to any of the BN component parties to ask for assistance, what would have been the response they would have received. As I highlighted during my little speech at the forum, it is doing "little" things, helping those suffering from injustices such as this that makes my total switch to a political role a most fruitful and rewarding one. No amount of cash can buy that sort of sense of fulfilment.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

If what has been complained is true, how could police officer did that to him? Shouldn't these people who got paid from our taxing (we earn to pay them wages) protect us? We should fire these people. Let's do a demonstration in front of that police station.

Anonymous said...

None of the MCA people come & visit him????

None of the ministers or deputy ministers or even officials in the ministerial departments come and visit this poor person???

He is a citizen of MALAYSIA, a MALAYSIA! Where's the support from the government?

Unknown said...

"Police Brutality "

Aiyo, aiyo........... lucky din kena C4ed

Anonymous said...

Is this a big surprise to all of us? From the ongoing high profile court case, we heard that police officers were also treated badly by their own interrogating officers. Yest, everything is OK, according to our minister of internal affairs, who happens to be our PM, a so-called considerate and caring Muslim.

Anonymous said...

Yes, the police are bastards.They have been anti-Chinesesince 1957. Special investigatins people also take peolpe out to sea to kill them. Told by SI guy who said he couldn't sleep at night due to this and would leave the force. Guess who they killed? No prizes for getting it right.

Also, friends who were unlucky enough to be put in lock-up complained (after they were released after 3 days) that their valuables - cash, jewellery, h/ps, etc.,were forcibly taken from them and never returned..

This happened in a Prai police station . I am sure this crimes have been committed by the police in all police stations all over Malaysia eversince 1957.

Our police - they are real thieves, murderers, rapists, thugs,etc.

aawilliam said...

That's the reasons why.....suspects
jump down from the floor where the questioning was done(suicide).To escape all the agony,remember? In the police HQ infront of Pudu jail,
years back? This torture never ends,pls do something...TQ

Anonymous said...

One more good reason to vote BN out for not having the political will to establish the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC)! The corrupted no.1 CEO of the country covers the corrupted police force, so that the latter can protect the former. This is the real scene in Malaysia under the leadership of the hypocrite Pak-tak-apa-Lah.

Anonymous said...

Power abuse by the policemen? So what?

Most likely the policemen who abused their power may walk away freely without any punishment...

Most probably this case will fade away and will eventually be forgotten...

Malaysians are forgetful...

Anonymous said...

This is how our society looks like after 50 years of Independence. However, it is not unusual because these policemen are only following their superiors' tantrums, whether in the police force or in the Parliment. We have Nazri, Hishamuddin, Khairy and other BN MPs behaving like monkeys each day, and we can't blame these policemen for behaving the same. In a sense, they are authorised to do so.

Back to the issue, PDRM tends to forget that their salary comes from taxpayers, and that they just receive an enormous salary hike one month back. Rather than behaving more professionally, they got worse than animals. How can the salary hike be justified?

Secondly, why isn't there any action taken against Badawi for allowing that seditious article remained on PMO's website for years, while Petra was invited for an 8-hour tea session a day after a police report was made by the ex-Selangor MB with two Muhammads? Aren't they practising double standard obviously?

Really fed up with the ruling government. Every Malaysian regardless of ethnic and religion has been betrayed by BN.

Anonymous said...

"...why isn't there any action taken against Badawi for allowing that seditious article remained on PMO's website for years, while Petra was invited for an 8-hour tea session a day after a police report was made by the ex-Selangor MB with two Muhammads? Aren't they practising double standard obviously?"

Under the present government, if you are the Chief of the police force, would you dare to take action against your boss, who is the Internal Security Minister cum Prime Minister?

The recent speech by Raja Nazrin is an obvious indication about his frustration and dissppointment over the way the sleepy beauty Pak-tak-tau-Lah manages the country. According to a recent poll, there is a sharp increase in the number of citizens who are absolutely disappointed by this sleepy PM (http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/70783)

"Power tends to corrupt, absolute power corrupts absolutely."

As long as BN remains in power, the country will forever in the state of blatant corruption, no democracy, no transparency, and no accountability!

Wake up Malaysian voters, if you really love your country, it's time to give more support to the opposition parties!! Don't let UMNO and their cronies betray the nation anymore!

Rakyat Malaysia

Anonymous said...

malaysian time to wake up!! today mr tung was brutaly treated in police station .tmrw who will be next??it could be yr fiends or relative or after all malaysians...if this act is not stop.united malaysian to eradict this type of licience thugs or gangster by vote the malaysia boleh land again other than BN...let's make a better place so that we can walk safely and freely w/o being robbed or kidnap or raped from the expense of poor security or incompetent of police force.

SetiaSelalu said...

This issue concern every Malaysians as it goes to the root of what type of society we will pass on to our future generations.
We need to stand together and voice out the terrible evils acts of these polis officers who are given PDRM a very bad name.
How low have our Polis force sunk !...its heartbreaking to know that good men who testify against the evil deeds of these bullies have themselves been arrested ,beaten and imprisoned for being brave to speak out against evil men like Lancs Corporal Mohd.Faizal Mat Taib one of the cops responsible for Gunasegaran's death.
We really cannot allow this to continue....NGOs,political parties,Bar Council,Suhakam and the Rakyat must act and act now and fast for all our safety and those of the brave witnesses.
If we keep quiet, we are equally as quilty as the evil policemen involved in the beating,torturing and killing.