GEORGE TOWN: Last Saturday’s death of a Japanese detainee has now made it crucial to establish the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC), said Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng today.
He said the Japanese national’s death has given the issue an international relevance, underlining his firm belief that IPCMC can prevent needless custodial deaths.
“It will be sad that a Japanese detainee must die in police custody before moving the federal government to act.
“IPCMC is important to restore public confidence that there will be no abuse of power or torture in custodial deaths,” the added.
Lim said he could not see any reason for the federal government to refuse the oversight mechanism, first recommended in 2005 by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Police.
He said the latest incident has smeared the image of Malaysia’s police force, its chief Khalid Abu Bakar and Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in the eyes of the international community.
“This international dimension of the tragedy of custodial deaths prevalent in Malaysia has clearly tarnished Malayisa’s international reputation,” he added.
Selangor deputy police chief A Thaiveegan said that an autopsy report issued by the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre found that the 33-year old Japanese detainee, Nobuhiro Matsushita, died at the Subang Jaya police station as a result of hanging.
The findings stated there were no injuries on the deceased.
‘How many more must die?’
Whatever the cause of death, Lim said the police have to come clean and explain how these detainees can die either by their own hand or by the very policemen meant to protect them.
“How many more must die before the tragedy of custodial deaths are stopped?” he asked.
The Japanese national’s death was the fourth custodial death in less than three weeks.
N Dhamendran, 32, died at the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters on May 21. He had allegedly sustained 52 injuries. Three police personnel have been charged with murder.
R Jamesh Ramesh, 40, was found dead in a police lock up at the Penang police headquarters on May 26 while 42-year-old former engineer P Karuna Nithi died at the Tampin police station on Saturday, June 1.
Lim said the 219 custodial deaths since 2000 was a shocking figure.
Even former IGP Musa Hasan said that he had not opposed the formation of IPCMC when he was heading the police force, provided the police were given the right to appeal to the court against the commission’s decisions.
Whilst some of the custodial deaths may be due to natural causes, Lim said the public would continue to be suspicious of police interrogation methods unless the police can assure the people that they were not only clean, but were seen to be clean.
He also claimed that the new home minister was not interested in fighting crime but was more focused on using harsh and oppressive methods to silence political dissent to protect BN.
He said only a transparent and accountable mechanism like IPCMC can restore public confidence.
“Or else, the public will have recurring nightmares that should any of their loved ones be placed in police custody, they may not walk out alive,” he added.
