KUALA LUMPUR – An anonymous individual – who highlighted on Twitter the alleged physical abuse suffered by his brother at a military camp – has gotten the attention of Senior Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.
In a tweet this morning, Hishammuddin urged the said individual to privately reach out to him or his office and provide more details over his claim, and vows to keep the person’s identity confidential.
“The deputy minister (Datuk Seri Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz) has also been ordered to look into the matter personally.
“If genuine, stern action will be taken,” he said.
In a separate Twitter post yesterday, user @pedoqpop shared a message he had received from an individual who requested anonymity, alleging his younger brother has been a victim of abuse by his military colleagues.
In the message, the individual claimed that his brother is being assaulted by his seniors on a daily basis, and was also bullied into giving up all his salary to them.
“Even his savings are almost gone. Imagine, he has to buy necessities for 12 to 14 people. He is afraid to do anything.
“He claims that in previous cases where the matter was reported to higher authorities, the perpetrators were only punished by doing 45 minutes of marching.”
The individual said he has reported the matter to police, but was told that his family needs to lodge a complaint at the military camp first.
“But what if the case turns out like what happened to the late Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain? What if they announce the matter in camp, and they find out it was my brother who made the report?
“I’m scared, help me,” the message read.
Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia student Zulfarhan had succumbed to his injuries on June 1, 2017, after being on the receiving end of a vicious assault by his colleagues.
Among others, he was beaten up by them and had a hot steam iron pressed repeatedly against his body, leaving 90 burn marks.
Six students have since been sentenced to 18 years’ jail by the high court here last month, after they were found guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. – The Vibes, December 2, 2021
