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Media Statement (10/7/2012)

Police shoot to kill @ PM’s office @ Putrjaya. Why still not equipped with Taser guns & pepper spray when RM7.5 Billion allocation for police force for 2012.

We read with grave concern especially the headlines and front page news of todays dailies (10/7/2012) of a mentality depressed man Khalil Afandi Abd Hamid who was shot dead by the police within the compound of no less than the very offices of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at Putrajaya. We regret to note that this action of some of the Malaysian Police force members has bought to yet another low level of disrepute of the Royal Malaysian police force.

Way back vide our memorandum to the then Prime Minister Dr.Mahathir Mohamad dated 17/10/2000 and then our 62 page Memorandum dated 31/10/2002 titled “ A trigger happy Royal Malaysian Police Force” * the predecessor of HINDRAF ie Police Watch Malaysia had at Item 9 at page 27 proposed the use of Taser guns for a suspect to be immobilized, captured alive with the view to be brought to justice.

After scores of our subsequent letters of protest and memorandums, we concede that the instances of death by police shooting of suspects has been reduced by about 95% in so far as the locals are concerned. Our concern however is still that while some Indonesian suspects are still being shot dead, the police, we believe seem to have devised a different modus operandi for Indian suspects ie arresting them and then they “disappear for good” as in the case of Bangsar Shan, the five Indian youths of Sri Kembangan, Serdang and Murugesu of Batu Caves in 2011 and the latest being T.Sivaguru who was arrested by a team of policemen in the wee hours of the night by a group of including uniformed policemen who came in four patrol cars and he then “disappeared for good”(FMT 28/6/2012). Even this morning HINDRAF Information Chief Mr.S.Jayathas received a phone call on the similar disappearance of one Ganesan a/l Mukan of Kulai, Johor.

We also regret that today after thirteen years of our activism, history seems to be repeating itself. Vide our protest letter dated 11/10/2000 to the then Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Norian Mai and copied to the then Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister cum Home Minister, we had protested the merciless shooting to death of a mental patient Thevarajah Suppiah in Kluang, Johor (letter enclosed). Obviously Thevarajah’s case was hardly heard of as it may not have been “newsworthy” because he is an Indian poor victim. Thevarajah’s poverty stricken family never saw the light of justice and have since lived in misery with the nightmare of the death of their loved one in such tragic circumstances. We believe the family of Khalil Afandi Abd Hamid would suffer a similar fate.

In last year’s budget announcement alone the Malaysian police force was allocated a whopping and hefty RM7.5 Billion for the year 2012 (Utuasan Malaysia 14/10/2011 at page 24). This was with the view of the Malaysian police force emerging as a world class police force.

But it is a shame that the government and police top brass has deemed it fit not to equip themselves with even Taser guns and pepper spray which can temporarily immobilize the suspects at a distance of up to 12 feet. Unless of course it was with the ulterior motive that the police still wanted the option of shooting dead some suspects as opposed to apprehending them alive and bringing them to justice.

We hereby call upon the government to forthwith equip each and every policeman in the country with a taser gun and pepper spray so as to make shooting dead of suspects a thing of the past fit only to be in the National Archives and in the Royal Malaysian Police Force museums. This would go a long way in Malaysia being seen to be a civil society and the Malaysian police force on the road to becoming a world class police force.

Thank you.

Yours faithfully,

…………………………………….

P.Uthayakumar

HINDRAF de facto Leader

*1.3 person shot dead per week by the Royal Malay-sian Police Force) 635 from 1689 – 1999- The Star 11/5/99 quoting then Deputy Home Affairs Minister Datuk Kadir Sheikh Fadir