PRIME Minister Anwar Ibrahim today said he would soon meet the family of late political aide Teoh Beng Hock and review their memorandum.
He also posted on social media that he was aware of an incident that occurred outside parliament this morning involving the family and Teoh’s support group.
It was reported that there was a tense moment when members of the Teoh Beng Hock Association for Democratic Advancement were not allowed to enter the Parliament Building this morning.
The police had apparently intercepted the group – led by Beng Hock’s sister Teoh Lee Lan – from entering at about 10am.
A short stand-off ensued with the group insisting on submitting their memorandum at the parliament gates.
They were finally allowed in at 11.20am to submit their memorandum to a government representative, after negotiations.
Reacting to the incident, Anwar gave his assurance that “I will meet with them soon and review their memorandum”.
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 Anwar.
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 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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