2nd Post Mortem report of Kugan - Starved and Beaten to death

Post-mortem: Kugan 'starved and beaten' to death
Syed Jaymal Zahiid Mar 3, 09 3:24pm

An independent post-mortem report has revealed that deceased 22-year-old police detainee Kugan Ananthan had endured severe beatings and was also starved during his incarceration.

The post-mortem conducted by a Universiti Hospital pathologist who was commissioned by the deceased's family found that the car theft suspect had died of kidney failure due to the assault. The beatings had caused a breakdown in Kugan's muscle cells which then congested the blood flow and resulted in kidney failure.The findings were revealed by the family's lawyer N Surendran at a press conference held in the PKR headquarters in Tropicana this afternoon."As opposed to the past statement given by the police and the first post-mortem report (which stated that Kugan died of fluid accumulation in his lungs), the second report shows that he had died of acute renal failure due to rhabdomyolysis."Which is to say that he died due to the muscle cells disintegrating into his bloodstream and absorbed by the kidney which resulted in kidney failure and death," said the lawyer.

'Burnt with extremely heated iron bar'
Showing pictorial evidence to reporters, Surendran said graphic photos taken from the post-mortem report showed that Kugan suffered from massive internal bleeding due to repeated beatings."Kugan had hemorrhage in many of his internal organs, his heart, left lung, spleen, kidneys, back of his neck, spine area and the sole of his feet which shows that he took consistent beatings," he added.Kugan also suffered from internal bleeding in the scalp area following repeated beatings with a blunt object.The post-mortem report also stated that Kugan sustained more than 10 severe burn wounds on his back "probably as a result of being burnt by an extremely heated V-shaped iron bar.""Almost the entire part of his back is covered with contusions, beating marks and bruises," said Surendran, adding that the report also indicated that Kugan "was starved during the entire time he was tortured.""

In brief, it appears that Kugan was severely tortured over period of days and the kind of pain he had suffered is unimaginable. "One could only imagine what was going through this young man's mind (during the torture). Perhaps, he had wanted to die (to escape the torture), we wouldn't know," he said.Procedural exclusion in first post-mortemAnother baffling point, said Surendran, is the fact that the second post-mortem report indicated that no examination below the heart area of Kugan's body was conducted during the first post-mortem.Surendran said this was puzzling as it is compulsory for any pathologist to conduct a complete check-up.The independent post-mortem report was commissioned by Kugan's family after they were dissatisfied with the first report tendered by Serdang Hospital.

Kugan had died on Jan 20 at the Taipan police station in Subang Jaya, five days after he was arrested in connection with the theft of luxury cars.Meanwhile, Surendran said the second post-mortem conducted by Dr Prashant N Samberkar from the UniversitI Malaya Medical Centre is not just an investigation into the death of an individual."This is a damning indictment on the Malaysian police force. I hope the police will hang their heads in shame, institute thorough reforms and stop placing obstacles in the implementation of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC)," he stressed.

Report to be submitted to AG tomorrow
Teluk Intan DAP parliamentarian M Manogaran, who was also present at the press conference, said he and other Pakatan Rakyat leaders will submit the post-mortem report to the Attorney-General's Chambers in Putrajaya tomorrow."The AG (Abdul Gani Patail) is duty-bound to act on this report and what Malaysians, in particular Kugan's family, want is that whoever is responsible for his death be brought to court and answer charges for murder," he said.According to Kapar MP S Manickavasagam, from the year 2000 to 2008, there have been more than 80 cases of reported deaths in police custody but nothing has been done to address this.He also claimed that more than seven police officers are involved in Kugan's case.

Another DAP leader present, Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo said the report should give the AG sufficient evidence to act swiftly on the matter.He also said this incident shows the importance of having an independent post-mortem report done for custodial death cases.
The case was initially classified as sudden death but following the emergence of a video clip which revealed severe lacerations on the deceased's body and sparked off public outrage, the AG reclassified the case as murder.
Other leaders present at the press conference were PAS Kota Raja MP Dr Siti Maria Mahmud, PKR secretary general Salahuddin Hashim and watchdog group Police Watch director S Jayathas.

Read full autopsy report l 12 pages

Prayer nationwide for Waythamoorthy speed recovery

Hi All Malaysians and all Human Right Supporters,

As most of us knew, our Hindraf Chairman, P. Waythamoorthy whom is self exile in London and been continuously voicing the marginalization of Malaysian Indians in the international forum is currently ill and warded in a hospital at London.

The latest information as of 2nd March, he need to go thru some treatment as his heart beat were irregular and not stable. He is currently bed ridden.

As all of aware, Mr P. Waythamoorthy is all alone there struggling for his life to give a better life to all Malaysians. His sacrification have no words to describe. His thoughts and actions were always about the justice for the community and service for the marginalised.

Let us all pray for his fast recovery.

To all Hindus, let light up an "agal vilaku" daily in your prayers room from today and pray for his recovery.

Vaalga Hindraf Makkal Sakthi

Vaalge Waythamoorthy

ps. pass this to all and hope the mass prayers and well wish helps for speed recovery.

..<<>>..

WAYTHAMOORTHY IS UNDERGOING A SURGICAL PROCEDURE FOR HIS HEART TODAY IN LONDON

WAYTHAMOORTHY IS UNDERGOING A SURGICAL PROCEDURE FOR HIS HEART TODAY IN LONDON
Posted Mon, 02/03/2009 - 21:42 by naragan

As I write this, my dear friend Waythamoorthy is in a hospital bed in London, undergoing a surgical procedure for his heart. I understand the risks of this procedure are extremely high in his current condition.

I am not sure how many of us really understand what he is going through in his life so that he can improve our lives and that of those around us. He has no permanent abode now, he lives in rented rooms, constantly on the move. His family is away from him, he has no regular routines by which he can take care of his health or for someone by him to help him take care of his health. He has no steady diet. He has no permanent bed.
My own heart is very heavy. He is going through so much in his life, yet he chooses not to talk about it or he just downplays it every time the topic comes up. His is the supreme sacrifice.
Think about how the comfort of our current lives prevent us from doing the many things around us that must be done. Think about how we worry every time we have to confront some ugly truth in public life. We complain in private, but when it comes down to really doing something about all of that, we shy away. Why? Simply because we fear losing our comfortable lives. We fear losing our middle class lives. Waythamoorthy has cast aside all such considerations and has decided that his life has to be dedicated if things are to change. This is supreme sacrifice.
To care is not to go through the motions of doing something sitting at the edges hemming and hawing. Hindraf’s care has been and continues to be to roll up the sleeves and get into it, lock stock and barrel – how many of us have been really able to do it. Waythamoorthy has done it. He is showing the way to those of us who want to really bring about change.

What difference does it make if we say we care, go through the motions of caring but yet nothing really changes. To achieve change, true care must be shown. True care requires we make sacrifices, and Waythamoorthy is making those sacrifices now under our very noses, now.
Let us all stand up.

Let us all be humbled by all this.

இண்ட்ராஃப் ஆதரவாளர்களின்மீது வன்முறை!

இண்ட்ராஃப் ஆதரவாளர்களின்மீது வன்முறை!
Posted Sun, 01/03/2009 - 01:04 by Olaichuvadi

வழக்கறிஞர் உதயகுமாருக்கு முறையான சிகிச்சை வழங்கப்படாதது குறித்து அதிருப்தியடைந்த இண்ட்ராஃப் ஆதரவாளார்கள், நேற்று (சனிக்கிழமை 28/02/2009) காலை 10 மணியளவில் பிரிக்பீல்ட்ஸ் காவல் நிலையத்தில் தனிப்பட்ட முறையில் புகார் அளிக்கச் சென்றபொழுது, காவல்த்துறையினர் மிகவும் கடுமையாக நடந்துகொண்டது மட்டுமல்லாமல், வன்முறையைக் கட்டவிழ்க்கும் வகையில் அமில நீரைப் பீய்ச்சியடித்து ஆதரவாளர்களை கலைந்துபோகச் செய்துள்ளனர். இச்சம்பவத்தில் காயமடைந்த மூவர் மருத்துவமனையில் சேர்க்கப்பட்டுள்ளனர்.
காவல்த்துறையின் இவ்வராஜகச் செயலை தற்சமயம் லண்டன் மருத்துவமனையில் சிகிச்சைப் பெற்றுவரும் திரு.வேதமூர்த்தி கண்டித்துள்ளார். காவல்த்துறையினரிடம் ஓரவஞ்சனை ஒருபோதும் இருத்தல் கூடாது எனவும், இச்சம்பவம் காவல்த்துறையினரின் நன்மதிப்பை பொதுமக்கள் மத்தியில் மேலும் கெடச் செய்கிறது எனவும் அவர் கூறினார்.
பொதுமக்கள் மீது கட்டவிழ்க்கப்பட்ட இவ்வன்முறைக்கு பொறுப்பானவர்களை சுஹாகாம் மனித உரிமைக் கழகம் முறையான விசாரணைக்குட்படுத்த வேண்டும் என இண்ட்ராஃப் தலைவர் திரு.வேதமூர்த்தி கேட்டுக் கொண்டுள்ளார்.
அந்நிகழ்வின் காணொளிக்காட்சி கீழே..

'OK for Umno to rally, not Hindraf'
Athi Veeranggan Mar 1, 09 5:03pm

The police action to spray chemical-laced water on Hindu Rights Action Force supporters at the Brickfields police station in Kuala Lumpur yesterday was “brutal and inhumane”, an outraged Hindraf leader said today.

The outlawed Hindraf national coordinator RS Thanenthiran accused the police of practicing double standards where "there is one set of laws for illegal and violent Umno demonstrators, and another for those participating in peaceful assemblies and gatherings.""While the police were lenient and even provided protection for Umno illegal demonstrations, including mobsters, they resorted to forceful means to batter others," he said, referring to Umno Youth’s action against prominent opposition parliamentarian Karpal Singh.

Yesterday Hindraf supporters have gone to Brickfields police station to lodge mass reports against the Home Ministry and Kamunting Detention Centre authority for neglecting the health of detained Hindraf leader P Uthayakumar.They claimed that the authorities failed to provide proper medical treatment for Uthayakumar, a diabetic who is suffering from a fractured toe."We went to the police station only to exercise our fundamental rights to lodge police reports on behalf of Uthayakumar. It was not an illegal demonstration or protest,” lamented Thanenthiran.“We cannot understand why the police resorted to violence to stop us. It was a gross violation of our basic human rights."

He accused Brickfields police chief Wan Abdul Bari Wan Abdul Khalid for going back on his words after acceding to ‘a gentleman’s agreement’ to allow Hindraf supporters to lodge reports at the police station.According to Thanenthiran, Wan Abdul Bari had earlier agreed to allow 50 Hindraf supporters to lodge 10 joint police reports in separate groups of five, including family members of Uthayakumar."However, we were caught by surprise when Wan Abdul Bari suddenly gave the order to the supporters to disperse. It was a shock that the police resorted to brutality and inhumane action to disperse and arrest Hindraf supporters," said Thanenthiran, a former teacher.Some had to seek medical attentionThe police sprayed chemical-laced water at about 300 supporters of Uthayakumar, who had been detained under the draconian Internal Security Act since 2007.

Most of the crowd subsequently dispersed save for a few, including Kapar MP S Manikavasagam and Police Watch and Human Rights Committee coordinator S Jayathas.The duo were among 17 individuals arrested, according to Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo, who arrived at the scene later to act as the group’s lawyer.They have all been released since.A few people were injured and suffered from itchiness and breathing difficulties after they were doused with chemical-laced water and they had to seek treatment from the hospital.

Thanenthiran called on Malaysians to vote against Barisan Nasional in next month’s by-elections in Bukit Selambau state seat (Kedah) and Bukit Gantang parliamentary seat (Perak) to register their anger against the police brutality."This is not a racial issue. It’s about human rights. Malaysians must demonstrate their disagreement with the police action and BN’s arrogance in violating human rights," said the Hindraf leader.

Little Darshini- denied right to get education ( watch the clip)

Please visit this new youtube channel - http://www.youtube.com/MakkalSevai and see a short chronicle of the recent experience of a mother whose daughter Darshini, a std five lass who was almost expelled from school because she did not have a Birth Certificate.

What the mother is effectively saying, is that if the poor misstep even a little, the system is brutal to them. Missteps are not at all uncommon for the ignorant and the unguided. Try to understand .

This video is not a commercial for Makkal Sakthi. It is an expression of Makkal Sakthi - so we may find sustainable solutions for these self reinforcing and endemic problems.

More to follow.

United we must stand
United we must act.

Water cannons turned on Malaysian Indians, 17 held

Water cannons turned on Malaysian Indians, 17 held

Malaysia Sun

Saturday

28th February, 2009 (IANS)

Police Saturday turned water cannons on a group of ethnic Indians in Malaysia who refused to disperse outside a police station - where they had come to lodge complaints alleging mistreatment of a jailed activist - and arrested 17 of them.
P. Uthayakumar, a leader of the banned Hindu Rights Action Front (Hindraf) and who suffers from acute diabetes, has been detained under the stringent Internal Security Act (ISA) as one of the five organisers of a protest rally in November 2007.The crowd refused to disperse despite repeated warnings, city police chief Mohammed Sabtu Osman said.

Seventeen people, including lawmaker Manikavasagam, have been arrested for the 'illegal gathering'. Among the arrested, three, including a woman, were sent to hospital but police declined to comment on this.Earlier Saturday, about 300 people, including several MPs, had gathered to make police complaints. Police allowed about 50 people - five family members of Uthayakumar and five representatives each from the country's nine states, including MPs - to enter the station to lodge the complaints.The rest outside were asked to disperse. Most of them did but about 30 refused to leave.

The Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) began shooting chemical-laced water at the crowd. The 30 ran away and then returned.There were three rounds of regrouping by the protestors and follow up action by police lasting 40 minutes, Star Online said.Police have since established a safety perimeter around the police station.
Hindraf claims to speak for Malaysia's two million Indians, a bulk of them Tamil Hindus who came here during the British era. It protests discrimination in jobs and education and alleges that the government demolishes their religious shrines indiscriminately.They form about eight percent of Malaysia's population.

Malaysia's Inspector General of Police Musa Hassan said police had no choice as the crowd had ignored police advice to disperse as they were inconveniencing others at the police station.'The police station is a security area and we cannot allow such huge numbers inside for security reasons,' he said.

Musa warned that police would not hesitate to take stern action against any illegal gathering.

Gobind Singh Deo, an opposition ethnic Indian lawmaker of the opposition Ddemocfratic Action Party (DAP) who arrived later, said the incident should not have happened as every citizen had the right to lodge a police report regardless of the number.'It is clear there are different standards practised by the police when dealing with such matters,' he said.

Bersihkan Guantanamo Malaysia

Date: Sunday, March 01 @ 10:19:35 MYT

Topic: Pendapat

Oleh Afrar Yunus

Sejak adanya Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA), beribu orang telah dijadikan penghuni di Kem Tahanan Kamunting Taiping Perak.
Undang-Undang ISA memilih mangsa mengikut kehendak nafsu dan kerakusan kerajaan biarpun perisik asing, dadah, Jamaah Islah, senjata dan sebagainya dijadikan alasan tahanan.
Akta yang dirangka RH Hickling pada tahun 1960 adalah lanjutan dari Ordinan Darurat 1948.
Akta ini memberikan kuasa kepada Menteri Dalam Negeri Malaysia menahan ‘mangsa’ selama 60 hari dan kemudian dari itu selama dua tahun dan boleh berterusan bertahun-tahun tanpa dibicarakan.

Walaupun Malaysia mempunyai pelbagai undang-undang, namun kerajaan persekutuan yang ada sekarang takut dan gagal memanafaatkan akta-akta yang sedia ada dan dikira lebih demokratik.

Mereka yang pernah ditahan mengadu didera secara fizikal dan mental. Pelbagai ancaman, pukulan, deraan, ditahan di bilik kecil tanpa cahaya dan udara, dinafi dan dihadkan lawatan keluarga dan pelbagai kaedah ganas dan zalim digunakan di Guantanamo Malaysia itu.
Bukan sahaja parti politik seperti PAS, Keadilan dan DAP memperjuangkan sejak sekian lama supaya akta dracula ini dimansuhkan hatta badan kebajikan sukarela seperti Aliran, ABIM, JIM dan berpuloh pertubuhan lain bangun menyuarakan hasrat yang sama.
Malah sejak kebelakangan ini parti komponen BN seperti MCA, PPP, MIC dan beberapa parti di Sabah dan Sarawak juga melaungkan kehendak yang sama.
Sejak dahulu lagi, Malaysia dikritik oleh negara-negara dunia agar memansuhkan ISA.
Apa guna bercakap soal demokrasi, Negara Islam dan sebagainya jika diri sendiri terpalit dengan kekejaman terhadap rakyat sendiri.

Selepas krisis UMNO, pada tahun 1988 Abdullah Ahmad pernah mengatakan bahawa , "Jika kita semua hendak menyelamatkan Malaysia dan UMNO, Dr Mahathir mesti dibuang. Dia menggunakan undang-undang kejam ISA untuk mendiamkan pengkritiknya."
Tetapi Abdullah sama seperti manusia lain. Apabila telah mendapat tempat sebagai Perdana Menteri dan setelah adanya kuasa, ia berfatwa pula, ISA adalah "undang-undang yang perlu".
Media arus perdana termasuk Utusan Malaysia pada 10.12.08 melaporkan masih terdapat 64 orang tahanan ISA di Kem Tahanan Kamunting sehingga 30 Jun 2008.
Ada yang ditahan melebihi tujuh tahun tanpa bicara.

Pernah seorang penghuni di Kamunting, Shahrial Sirin, tidak sempat menemui anaknya kerana lewat dibenarkan menziarahi ahli keluarganya yang sakit tenat itu.
Selain dari Abdullah Ahmad, Menteri Dalam Negeri, Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar dan ahli kabinet Malaysia adalah mereka yang bertanggungjawab dalam pungutan saham Guantanamo ini.

Satu masa dahulu Kamunting terkenal kerana sejarah perlombongannya.
Namun ia bakal mencatatkan sejarah modennya dengan penderaan, penyiksaan dan kezaliman terhadap penduduk pribuminya.
Sampai bila lagi Guantanamo Malaysia.
Lalang yang dtanam, takkan mengharapkan padi yang tumbuh ?

http://alkerohi.blogspot.com/

Those held under the ISA are defined as a group that has virtually no rights, so it is hardly surprising that prison guards treat them as less than human.
Brad Adams, executive director of Human Rights Watch’s Asia Division.

I regard class differences as contrary to justice and, in the last resort, based on force.
Albert Einstein “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere . . . Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” Martin Luther King Jr.

"All humanity is one undivided and indivisible family, and each one of us is responsible for the misdeeds of all the others. I cannot detach myself from the wickedest soul."

E_flyer for the Sat 28 Feb Mass Police Report on Uthaya health right denial

Flyer for Sat 28 Feb, Mass Police Report

MALAYSIA: LINCENCE TO KILL AND DOUBLE STANDARDS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT

In the past 20 years or so almost of all the citizens shot dead by the mono ethnic Police Force were ethnic Tamils. And in every case the Police have maintained that they either fired in self defence or that the victims refused to surrender and therefore had to be killed. Human rights lawyers however think that all these were carefully planned extra judicial killings. In one case a 19 yr old unarmed ethnic Tamil college student was brought down by the Police in a hail of bullets in Seremban, a town in the state of Negri Sembilan.

The incident which took place about four years ago was reported in the Govt controlled media as a case where the courageous police fired in self defence but lawyer Uthayakumar who is now wrongfully in detention under the obnoxious ISA laws was able to show reporters the bloodied T shirt the boy was wearing at the time of his murder. All the bullet marks were on the back of the shirt, which means the lad was running from the police not attacking them. You must not be surprised that the Police continually kick the Law on its rear end.

The present Inspector General of Police Musa Hassan admitted under cross examination by the defence in the infamous Anwar Ibrahim trial a few years ago that he would do what is illegal if ordered by his boss. And Raja Petra the fearless blogger who is contesting the Home Minister's order requiring his detention under the ISA has made allegations in his blog that Musa Hassan had symbiotic links with leaders of the underworld.

Recently a Malay woman working in a pub made a Police Report against Jamaluddin Jarjis a UMNO politician alleging that he had groped her at her place of work. Initial reports emerging about the incident said that he was 'tipsy' at that time.

Now, commonsense and a sound system of Laws would require that Jamaluddin be be hauled to the Police station and his statement recorded prior to him being investigated for the offence but here in Malaysia a special mollycoddling law applies to UMNO politicians...... The poor woman after having made the Police Report had second thoughts: she took out a Statutory Declaration contra ing the report. Never in legal history has this kind of thing happened.Mr Karpal Singh and other legal experts have said that there is no provision in the Law whereby a police report may be expunged by a SD. One cannot withdraw a police and if her report were false and malicious then she ought to charged in court but our Police and Public Prosecutors have not proceeded against Jamaluddin Jarjis or the unfortunate woman.

Some months ago Mr Karpal Singh made a police report against Zaki Azmi the Chief Justice wherein he accused Zaki of corruption but to date no statemebt was recorded from him and Zaki has not been investigated. But quicker than a flash of lightning the police have acted upon two reports made against him by UMNO in that he had committed treason against the Sultan of Perak. The venerable wheel chair bound Mr Karpal was asked to go to the Police Hqrs to sit through a 3 hr long interrogation.

Naturally Mr Karpal is annoyed at the double standards,Investors and tourists must understand that 2 kinds of Law operate in Malaysia. A harsh unbending system against the common citizen and a mollycoddling one which applies to UMNO leaders and their cronies.

Decent taxpaying citizens will become so frustrated with these double standards that eventually they may take the law into their own hands.

Video of Uthaya at Taiping GH

Hello everybody

pls watch video clip taken by one of our support from Ipoh at Taiping Hospital while our hero brought to Taiping for medical attention

watch closely to understand the suffer that Uthaya going through in KEMTA

Medication denied.............
No proper meal for diebetic patient........................
No treatment for his fracture toe..................

Below the URL to watch the

http://www.malaysiakini.tv/video/16701



Do you want this "slient killing" to continue ????

Act now, join the rest on this 28th Feb , 10 am at Brickfields Police Station in mass unity.

more related clips,

Urgent call from our Hindraf MP
http://www.malaysiakini.tv/video/16718


Watch this video. listen to the voice of hero Uthaya
http://www.malaysiakini.tv/video/16701

..(())..

Let join 28 Feb 2009 at Brickfield to stop "silent killing"

To all, "Nandri Ulla India Samuthayamke"

"Nam urimaikagae poradi, intha samuthayathin ethirkaalam sumanthu, indru ISA yil kaal ilakum nilamaiyil irukum nam veera thirumagan P.Uthayakumar rai oru kai koduthu kapathugal.

28/2/09 , 10am
Balai Polis Brickfields police pugar seivom!

Varugal Nandri Ulla Samuthayamae!!!
Nam othirmai kaathuvom!!!"
Valgae Hindu Samuthayam !!!
Valgae Uthayakumar !!!
Valgae Hindraf Makkal Sakthi !!!

pls forward in all means possible......

A first hand report on the killing of the six in Kulim

A first hand report on the killing of the six Indians in Kulim

Posted Mon, 23/02/2009 - 00:41 by admin

The Malaysian Police are Prosecutor, Judge and Executioner , all in one.
Today I tagged along with our Human Rights Activists who have been fighting Police Abuses for a long time – S. Jayathas, S. Surendran, Manickavasagam (MP for Kapar) and M.Manohar(MP for Teluk Intan). to find out what actually transpired when the 6 were killed by the Police in Kulim.

Ever since their killing the other day I have been very bothered by the event. The media shouted out "criminals" – as if that was the foregone truth. The Police had executed all 6 of them as if they were the Prosecutor, Judge and Executioner all in one and utterly above the law. It was not one, not two, it was six and it seems with impunity. Every one had their own view of the episode. But I needed some answers.

At the outset let me say that I am not condoning crimes or criminals, but there are so many questions that this incident raises that we need some good answers, and fast, as this situation seems to be spinning out of control – before the ink dries on one, another seems to happen. Kugan's case before Prabakaran's settled, and now the six before Kugan's case is settled.
We visited the shootout site, the families of 3 of the deceased and spent some time with the neighbour at the shootout site. The picture that emerges is different than what the mainstream media has been putting out. The MSM paints a picture that the Police only returned fire after being shot at and that this turn of events was totally unavoidable and that they were dealing with a bunch of unscrupulous criminals.

Let me detail some of the facts we gathered before commenting on them. The scene of the shooting was in a small town of Karangan some 15km from Kulim. It was in a small house which was being renovated in one of the backroads of Karangan, a little off the main road of the town. The fence around the house was a tall wall made up of corrugated sheet – something you would do to cut off from view what was going on inside.

A very forthcoming neighbour told us that when he returned home from work that rainy night at around 10 or so he was met with a large group of police men in front of his house, who had already packed his family into the prayer room of his house in the event of stray bullets during the impending ambush. He was asked to get in with them. He only heard the frightening shootout that dreadful night from within his prayer room.

The shootout took place at around 10.30, a very noisy and frightening episode, narrated that neighbour. There did not seem to be any attempt by the Police to try to get the people they were seeking, out from the premises, by summoning them out first using hailers or some such device, before the shoot out. The shooting just happened. The neighbour knew nothing more till the bodies of the killed men were removed at somewhere between 4 and 5 am the next morning.

The first of the killed men, the one that the Police probably had a reason to get, the owner of the house where the shootout happened, was shot in the middle of the top of his head, top down it appeared, though his death certificate indicated he died due to shot wounds in his chest. The family of this victim, mentioned he had several more shots on the front side of his body – as if someone shot at him from the front. This individual, we were told by the family had no prior police record.lThe second victim that we visited was someone who was actually working in Singapore for a company called SBS (maybe the Singapore Bus Company) who had come back to Kulim for a holiday. He was due to go back shortly and had a return ticket for that. His death certificate also indicated death due to shots in the chest. Apparently he had several shot wounds on the front side of his body also, as if shot from the front. He appeared to be a friend of the first victim. It is not clear from the little information we got that this person was at all a close accomplice or even a participant in any crime that may have been in the works.

Of course, I am concluding this with very little information, but these are the facts as we got them from the family. The family was distraught, because this had damaged the standing of the family in the community, having their dead son branded a criminal. This victim also has no past criminal record, we were told by the family.
The third family we visited was that of a young chap of about 20. His family lives in a dilapidated little estate house in Padang Serai. He had seven siblings and it was obvious the family was just existing. This young chap it appears was working for the first victim assisting in the renovation of the house where the shootout happened. The parents did not seem to know much more about what he did. He was obviously not being paid very much, as he had just 2 days before the incident asked one of his family members for 20 ringgits. He had shot wounds on the forehead and it looked like the back of his head was all bloodied as if from an exiting bullet. He was dressed only in a towel at the time of his death. His parents even had difficulty putting together some money to buy him a shirt and a dhoty for his burial. 36 ringgits was all they had.

They could not even afford the coffin in which he was ultimately buried. The Police disallowed the victims kin to examine the body when they tried to. The body was all bloodied in the front. This victim also has no past record, we were told.
To say the least, this was a carnage. It appears like we are in Gaza or in Iraq or in Afghanistan or even in SriLanka – the scale and method of killingsuggests nothing short of this. Let me ask, are we in one of these countries or is Malaysia descending there?.
It looks like Indian lives have become very cheap, very cheap in this country – the lives of anjing keeling, yes that's what it is, the cheap lives of the anjings - that they can be wasted in this manner. Uthayakumar was so right!.

By all of this, I am in no way saying crime is alright. What I am saying is the way the problems of crime are being dealt with. Let me layout some perspectives for you all to consider:

1) What was the need to kill these people? They were not terrorists. They had no previous records. They were not murderers, surely not the mafia. They could have been easily arrested. In fact the first victim regularly stays is just a stone's throw from the Police Station. Why were they not apprehended? Or why were they not given a chance to come out with their hands up to surrender themselves for arrest – even in war this is done?. Why were they not given this chance?

2) We understand there were a number of sharp shooters from around the country on hand for the job for the Police. This seem to indicate that this was planned kill event.

3) Why was it that the shot wounds were all in the front side of the victims – not any location on the body, but systematically on the front side?

4) One victim was shot on the top of the head, how could that happen in a normal exchange of fire. That seems to suggest some crouching position and a shot into the head, from the top.

5) Why were the victims not shot at on their legs or where they will not be killed but disabled on being shot?

6) Why were the kin of one of the victims denied their right to inspect the body?

7) If it was a shootout between the Police and the victims, only two could have had the guns, as the police produced two guns, why were the shot wounds so systematic in the chest and the heads on all three of the victims? We do not know about the other two victims – but I suspect they will show similarities.

In summary this ugly incident in the series of incidents of police killing and atrocities seem to emphasise the following issues.

a) The Police in Malaysia continue killing Indian crime suspects with impunity – taking upon themselves the role of Prosecutor, Judge and Executioner all in one. I am sure that the powers be know exactly what they are doing. So, we have to take it that they are trying to provoke a response from us so they can slam emergency rule snd set us all back?

b) The Police very urgently need to be Policed . That looks like a very remote possibility, as long as UMNO rules this country of ours. . See what's happening to the reform driven MACC, it has become just another tool of UMNO. Any IPCMC will probably end up in that same rubbish bin. In any case this UMNO regime seems to be promoting Police brutality as a means of maintaining their hold on the levers of power.

c) So many crime suspects in Malaysia are from among the Indian community.? I think the answer to this has been already abundantly answered by Uthayakumar – this underclass of Indians are a direct result of the UMNO policies over the last 50 years of marginalizing Indians – neglecting the development of the Indian community. There does not yet seem to be any serious effort to get to the bottom of this problem.

d) The way the Police are shooting Indian crime suspects seem to give additional credence to the racist line of UMNO – the anjing keling line.. They seem to be wittingly or unwittingly creating a stereotype of the Indians in the country – despicable, troublecausing and uncouth Indian. What do you think the jibes of children in school reflect – when little Indian children are called "anjing keling" by their Malay classmates.

e) Poverty seems to be intertwined with all of this. Take the case of the third victim that we visited - what kind of money was he making for him to be lumped up and shot. Does this make sense, 20 years old, barely making a living and then shot in the middle. These are the youth of the country who should be nurtured and built up into the the human potential we so much need.This is all very infuriating.

There comes a time when all of this has to stop. This cannot continue. UMNO , stop playing games and get on with doing something positive about the problem. If you do not know how, then get expert help, I am sure there are agencies around the world that can help. Or are we to take it that you just do not want to , and then the only way we can find some resolution to the problem is by replacing you, UMNO.

UNITED WE MUST STAND
UNITED WE MUST ACT!!!!!

PS from WMP -No arrest done on Kugan's death in last 1 month !!

PRESS STATEMENT 23.02.09

RE: More than a month still no charge or arrest of Police suspected murderers of A. Kugan

HINDRAF condemns the lacklustre attitude taken by UMNO led government and the AG's office in prosecuting the police suspected murderers of A. Kugan. A. Kugan was murdered on January 20, 2008 in police custody and to date more than a month, no charge or arrest has been made on a single policeman.

In all fairness and justice, A.. Kugan is as much as a Malaysian as any other Malaysian who deserves to be treated equally and fairly. Why is the government taking a step back and practicing double standards in administrating the due process of law against the police murderers for a murder that was committed in police custody? Is it because A. Kugan happens to be a Malaysian Indian?

This condemnable approach taken by the UMNO led government and the AG's office in delaying the charge and arrest of these murderers will only further agitate the public and in particularly the Malaysian Indians who had suffered enough under the tyranny of the government through systematic marginalization and discrimination.

Public accountability and transparency of the UMNO led government and its agents in relation to protection of human rights in Malaysia is severely undermined and are provided merely as a lip service exercise to appease the public. A. Kugan's case is a classic example, more than one month had passed and no charge or arrest for a murder that took place in police custody.

The continuous callous attitude by the government against the Malaysian public in particular to the Malaysian Indians will only distance itself further from the public as the frustration grows in all segment of the society with no ability to seek a fair and just recourse for the injustice that prevails to maintain the status quo of the UMNO led government and its agents.

HINDRAF seeks immediate actions to be taken against the police murderers and not lip services from the AG's office in this matter. One month without any charge or arrest is just to long for a murder that took place in police custody unless there are ulterior hidden motive for the murder of A. Kugan that otherwise could jeopardize the integrity and sanctity of the police force.

Thank you.

P. Waytha Moorthy
Hindraf- Chairman