KUALA LUMPUR – Shot fired at close range, gun held to his head, taken on a terror ride and physically assaulted – January 24 will be remembered as the most horrifying day for one 20-year-old Malaysian claiming police abused him in a case of mistaken identity.
This harrowing tale was shared with the media in a virtual press conference hosted by Petaling Jaya MP Maria Chin Abdullah and attended by the victim, Lim Xiang Hui, as well as several human rights lawyers.
Recounting the incident in a chronology read out by Maria, Lim said he was driving in Muadzam Shah, Pahang, about 2am on January 24 when a Perodua Myvi pulled up next to his car, after which an individual fired a gun shot into the air before pointing the gun at him, prompting him to stop his vehicle.
Two plainclothes policemen, who did not initially identify themselves as cops, then handcuffed Lim and began punching him, demanding to know where a certain lorry was located, which baffled the latter, who knew nothing about it.
Not long after, six other police personnel on a Toyota Hilux and Proton Preve pulled over at the location, began stopping lorries passing the area, presumably to search for one smuggling cigarettes.
Not finding what they wanted, the policemen then dragged Lim into the Myvi and drove him towards Rompin, before stopping at the side of a road and dragging the latter into a jungle area.
There, Lim, was surrounded by four policemen, with one of them holding a gun to his right temple, again asking where the lorry is.
“One of the policemen kicked my feet and I fell flat on the ground. I was then beaten up by the policemen,” he said in his statement of chronology.
“After that, I was dragged into the Hilux and they drove around the area for quite some time and eventually, they drove me to Muadzam Shah police station and placed me under arrest.”
Lim said he was remanded for four days and questioned by the police, who could not find any evidence that he was involved in cigarette smuggling.
On January 27, he was charged under Section 186 of the Penal Code for obstructing police duty and Section 42 of the Road Transport Act 1987 in the Rompin magistrates' court for reckless driving. He claimed trial to both charges.
Mohammad Farhan Maaruf, who is representing Lim in the case, said the police had also brought Lim to court for the remand order without the presence of a lawyer, as legal representatives were only informed of the remand on short notice.
He said Lim was also denied his right to contact his family members following his immediate arrest, which he said goes against the Criminal Procedure Code, adding that his arrest was made based on a police tip-off.
Lim has since filed a police report in Pekan, Pahang, on the abuses he suffered, and will attend an identification parade next week.
Roger Chan, the coordinator of human rights lawyers in the case, said he hopes the inspector-general of police is made aware of the horrid chain of events and “terrible transgression on the part of enforcement officers”, which should not be condoned.
“Currently, our client (Lim) is taking legal advice before deciding the best way forward on whether to initiate legal proceedings.”
Maria added that this incident proves why the proposed Independent Police Complaint and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) needs to be implemented immediately. – The Vibes, February 8, 2021
