THE Teoh Beng Hock Association for Democratic Advancement condemned the police violence against some of its members and supporters at the entrance of parliament this morning.
The support group said the police had acted violently to stop its members and supporters from entering the parliament gates to submit a memorandum to the government.
“While blocking the members of the walk for justice from accessing the main gate of the parliament, several participants were manhandled, pushed by the police and fell to the ground,” said the group’s chairperson Ng Yap Hwa.
He said the late political aide’s sister Lee Lan was pushed to the ground and had cried out in pain.
“Another female organising committee member had her collar grabbed by the police, and even though her neck was being choked, they did not let go for a long time.
“This caused her necklace to break and left marks on her neck,” he said, adding that they wanted the Home Minister to compensate them for their losses.
He also hit out at the government for condoning the violence today.
“It is to our surprise that a government led by reformists, beginning their struggle in the streets, is condoning violence against peaceful rally participants today, violating their constitutional right to peaceful assembly and right of way.
“We do not rule out the possibility of taking legal action against the police officers involved in the violent actions,” he said.
He was referring to the police action to stop members and supporters of the group from entering Parliament this morning.
The police had intercepted the group – led by Lee Lan – from entering at about 10am.
A short stand-off ensued with the group insisting on submitting their memorandum at the gates of parliament.
They were finally allowed in at 11.20am to submit their memorandum to a government representative, after negotiations.
The group was on the final leg of its three-day “walk for justice” from Shah Alam to Parliament.
Their walk started on Saturday, stopping at the Selangor menteri besar’s office at the Selangor secretariat building in Shah Alam, the Selangor Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) state headquarters in Shah Alam, Bukit Aman and the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
They had planned to end their walk at Parliament today by submitting a memorandum to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar had reacted to the incident by saying on social media that he would meet Teoh’s family and review their memorandum.
The walk was aimed at demanding justice for the family following Teoh’s death at the Selangor MACC headquarters in Shah Alam 15 years ago.
The group said there were unresolved matters surrounding the political aide’s death and they wanted justice from the unity government.
The group’s demands included amending Section 30 of the MACC Act to limit interrogation time and enacting an anti-torture law.
The group also demanded that authorities investigate and prosecute the case accordingly, as it was supposed to have been reopened in 2018.
In June 2018, the cabinet granted approval for investigations into Teoh’s death to be reopened.
However, four months later, the police said they had not received any instructions from the AGC to do so.
On May 5, the group launched a campaign called the “Search for Missing Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim” in Kuala Kubu Baharu following multiple failed attempts by the Teoh family to meet Anwar in the 17 months since he took office.
In December, the association also submitted a protest letter to the Prime Minister’s Office expressing dissatisfaction that no one had been held responsible for Teoh’s death.
In 2009, Teoh, who was then an aide to then-Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead on the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam, hours after he had arrived for questioning on the 14th floor of the Selangor MACC headquarters.
A coroner’s inquest in 2011 delivered an open verdict.
His family subsequently filed an appeal against the findings. Three years later, the Court of Appeal set aside the open verdict and ruled that Teoh’s death was caused by multiple injuries as a result of unlawful acts by unknown persons. – July 15, 2024.
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