Malaysiakini
Yoges Palaniappan & Bede Hong
Jul 19, 07 5:01pm
Even his three-year-old daughter could not recognise him since the swelling had completely disfigured his face.
This is the horrifying ordeal which 39-year-old welder Tong Ket Ming endured after being allegedly beaten blue and black by the police while under remand。.
Tong, who hails from Rawang, was arrested on July 9 in connection with an armed robbery case.
In a police report filed yesterday on his alleged assault, Tong said after he was arrested, he was first taken to the Rawang police station and later to another unidentified location.
“During my eight days under detention, I was punched, kicked, elbowed and even whipped with a rubber hose.
“The other detainees had to carry me when I needed to use the toilet,” Tong, who was in tears, recalled at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur this morning.
On Monday, the final day of his remand, he was taken to a room where seven policemen allegedly beat him for about 30 minutes.
Wanted him to confess
Tong claimed that the police had wanted to extract a confession from him.
Even on the day of his arrest, the police had allegedly asked him to admit to committing the robbery which took place in Jinjang, Selangor on June 28.
“When I refused, the policemen punched my face and stomach. I was also kicked. My face was swollen, and my nose and mouth bled,” he said.
Tong claimed that he was also taken to the Selayang police station and later to the Sentul police station and was assaulted in both these places.
In Sentul, he alleged that the investigating officer (IO) had typed out a statement and forced him to sign it. When he refused, he was beaten.
“I refused to sign because I did not know what was written in the statement. The IO did not even read it out to me,” said Tong, who repeatedly stressed that he had nothing to do with the robbery and that he was working on the day it happened.
He added that the IO later told him that the statement was a confession. The IO also threatened to bring two witnesses who could purportedly prove Tong’s involvement in the robbery if he refused to sign.
Beaten for complaining
Tong said he was also repeatedly quizzed on the whereabouts of the gun used in the robbery.
The following day (July 10), when Tong was brought to the Magistrate’s Court, he said he summed up the courage to relate his ordeal despite warnings of repercussions from the police.
“The magistrate simply told me to lodge a police report against those who abused me. The police were then instructed to send me for a medical check up.
“When I was brought back to the police station, I was assaulted again by the IO and other officers for complaining to the magistrate. They ignored my pleas to see a doctor.
“I cannot believe the police could behave like this. At one point, I told them ‘if you are going to beat me like this, you might as well kill me’,” he said.
Tong also alleged that a woman was pressured to pick him out as a suspect in the robbery during an identification parade held two days later.
“She was standing four metres away from me, and she told the IO that the man she saw on the day of the robbery was not the men in the parade.
“The IO, brought the woman near me and told her to identify me after a assuring her that she will not face any danger if she identified me as the robber,” he claimed.
On that note, Tong’s brother-in-law Bao Kiew Wu, who was also present at the press conference, questioned the credibility of the ID parade.
“Even Tong’s daughter, who sees him everyday, could not recognise him when they met in court because of his swollen face. How could a woman who saw him at a glance remember his face so clearly?” he asked.
Tong, who was released on Tuesday after his remand expired, is now considering taking legal action against the police.
“I want justice. I want to redeem my dignity. I want the authorities to take action against my abusers. They should not be police officers,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, DAP Seputeh MP Teresa Kok, who organised the press conference, expressed shock over the incident.
Kuala Lumpur police chief DCP Zul Hasnan Najib Baharuddin and Sentul police chief ACP Kumaran Karuppannan could not be reached for comment.
IPCMC ….. Do we need the IPCMC … or why we needs it ?
The following IPCMC similar to the following ICAC in Hong Kong … it is the only way out if we want the Polis DiRaja Malaysia to uphold its reputation to its expectation.
Otherwise … we are truely living in a polis state where they, the very Polis DiRaja Malaysia are above the law in the eye of the law where they cannot be prosecute under the Penal Code.
Have anyone comes across any polis officer that had been prosecute under the penal code for Contempt of the Law or giving false Evidence against Public Justice as a public servent ?
I give thereof my testimony to support of my say as to why we verily need the following IPCMC.
1) I was robbed at knife-point at my my residency as stated in my polis report. It had somehow neutralize into an arm-robbery that happens along the road.
2) The Polis DiRaja Malaysia had submitted in a very false “Material Evidence In Statement” as “Material Exhibit” to the DPP for the Adminstration of Justice for my “kawad-cam” person who robbed me.
3) I, personally recoved 2 of my MBB cheque that was robbed from me, at knife-point, been used by the “kawad-cam” to cheat the public, into believing that the following MBB cheque are “clean” in his attempt to obtain a personal loan. Some how my “kawad-cam” person was NEVER charge.
Many polis report had and has been made so are many attempt had and has been forward to the A.G.’s department … but till this very day … i see “NO” retification been upholds.
Thus … as the facts speak for itself … the gravious and urgent needs as to why we need the following IPCMC.
This is only one example of the bad image of the police. God willing, the police will buck up & portray itself as a respectable & trustworthy public service body.