PUTRAJAYA, June 7 – The government is considering aproposal to establish a permanent Coroner’s Court to investigate cases of custodial death.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the proposal made in the Cabinet meeting yesterday is to ensure that such cases are handled more transparently.
“The establishment of a permanent Coroner’s Court is under the jurisdiction of Ministers in the Prime Minister’s Department, Nancy Shukri and Datuk Paul Low. I am confident that they will study the proposal.
“The cases to be handled will not only involve police detainees but also other law enforcement agencies,” he told reporters here today.
Earlier, he received a courtesy call from the Minister of Home Affairs and Immigration of Namibia, Pendukeni Livula-Lthana who is here for the Global Summit of Women 2013 starting today.
Ahmad Zahid also reminded all parties not to make custodial deaths a racial issue because the ministry did not take death lightly and that the police personnel involved had been charged for murder in court.
“Some people said more Indians die in detention but data from the last 10 years shows that the highest are the Malays with 64, followed by the Chinese with 30 and the Indians with 28.”
Commenting on the proposal for the establishment of an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC), Ahmad Zahid said it was tabled in the Cabinet yesterday and the government decided that any investigation must based on the scope of the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (SIAP).
He said the Cabinet had given full authority to SIAP to assess all investigation procedures and this reflects the government’s concern with custodial death.
The ministry was always open to discussion with political parties, non-governmental organisations (NGO) and voluntary organisations so that the police and other agencies under the ministry could be improved.
-BERNAMA
