‘Cops beat me, told me to die’

A 20-year-old student claims that he was assaulted and verbally berated after knocking into a policeman's motorcycle.

PETALING JAYA: “The policemen kept beating me and called me ‘keling’. They also shouted at me, saying I should just die so that they can close the case.”

A 20-year-old student was allegedly beaten up and verbally berated when he knocked into a policeman’s motorcycle at a roadblock in Rembau, Negri Sembilan, during the wee hours of the morning.

After the Monday incident, S Ganesan was also warned against lodging a complaint before he was put into an ambulance and sent to the Tuanku Jaafar Hospital.

However, Ganesan summed up the courage to lodge a report with the Chembong police station on the same day.

In the report, he stated: “I want the authorities to take action against the errant policemen. I don’t understand why they treated me like an animal although I repeatedly apologised for the accident.”

Ganesan said that he fell to the ground when his motorcyle collided with the policeman’s bike, and an officer identified only as Hisham allegedly started raining blows on him.

“Soon, several other officers joined him to beat me up,” he added.

Ganesan claimed that he was kicked in his stomach, arms and back. The policemen, who also used a

helmet to assault him, then allegedly tore his shirt, threw him into a drain and stomped on him.

Apart from the beating, the student claimed that the policemen had also hurled racial insults, among others, calling him “keling” (a derogatory term used on Indians).

“They also said I should just die so that they can close the case,” he alleged.

Despite several attempts, FMT failed to reach Negeri Sembilan CID chief ACP Hamdan Majid for comments.

‘Put an end to this now’

Commenting on the matter, Indian-based NGO Aastivaram Foundation said it was high time for the government to set up the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).

“The commission is long overdue. Currently, the police themselves investigate cases of police abuse and I believe they tend to cover up such cases,” said its vice-president R Sri Sanjeevan.

Citing the example of a lorry driver’s assistant in Bahau being allegedly threatened and beaten by policemen, he said the police had not been able to provide any updates to the victim to date.

On April 13, S Devan was handcuffed and beaten by several plainclothes individuals claiming to be policemen after they failed to locate his friend, known as Thiagu.

One of them had allegedly shoved a gun into Devan’s mouth.

Sanjeevan called upon Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar to put an immediate end to such brutality.

“If left unchecked, it may bring the downfall of the (Barisan Nasional) government,” he warned.

High achiever's PSD scholarship dreams dashed

(Malaysiakini)Every year, we hear stories of high achievers not being able to secure government scholarships to pursue the courses of their choice despite fulfilling the necessary requirements.

Heamanthaa Padmanaban was among those who had suffered this setback to follow her ambition to study medicine abroad and also did not qualify to take up a course in biotechnology locally.

The 17-year-old from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Tuanku Jaafar in Seremban, Negri Sembilan, scored 10A+ and 1A in last year's Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations and was an all-rounder in extra-curricular activities.

"I qualified for cross-country runs and played hockey at state level, and was a school champion in chess and badminton.

"In April last year I was among those chosen to participate in the Malaysia-America Soccer Exchange programme with 12 other women," Heamanthaa (right) told Malaysiakini.

All these, besides her academic qualification, were means to secure a Public Service Department (PSD) scholarship to achieve her dream of becoming a doctor.

"I got the letter from PSD on May 13 and when I saw it I was happy thinking I must have qualified.

"After reading the contents of the letter I felt as if all my efforts and everything I had strived for had shattered.

"I cried and when I told my mum about it she broke down crying, too, she couldn't take it," she recounted.

Instead of an opportunity to study medicine or biotechnology, the petite and athletic looking Heamanthaa was offered a Diploma course in English at University Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI).

"If it was my ambition to teach English, I would have taken up the offer but I want to be a doctor. It doesn't make sense," she said.

'I believed in the govt'

Although disappointed, she has appealed for an alternative offer as she is determined to become a doctor, specialising in oncology.

But without a scholarship, Heamanthaa's chances of achieving her dream are bleak as her family may not be able to sustain and fund her tertiary education if she decides to pursue medicine privately.

Her father deals in health products and her mother is a primary school teacher while her younger brother is in Form 4.

"Private institutions have offered scholarships but they are only enough to pay tuition fees. I worked hard to study overseas and I believed in the government's word that students with 9A+ will be given scholarships and also to study the courses of their choice," said Heamanthaa.

In July last year, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak announced that PSD scholarships would be awarded to all students, regardless of ethnicity, who managed to score 9As or higher, for either local or overseas studies.

On May 4, the cabinet decided that all students who scored 8As and above in the SPM would be eligible for PSD scholarships and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Aziz reiterated that the promise will be kept.

Later, Nazri had rubbished Deputy Education Minister Wee Ka Siong's allegations of malpractice in the PSD's selection of scholarship recipients.

The minister also said the PSD's focus includes medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, engineering, science and technology and several areas under social sciences.

"Two of my peers were offered medicine, one at a medical college in New Zealand and another at the International Medical University (IMU).

"We all got more less the same grades but why didn't I get any such offers? I want to do medicine and it is one of the critical courses under PSD," said Heamanthaa.

'Think about our feelings'

She related that during her 45-minute interview with four PSD panel members on April 13, she was asked several perplexing questions.

"They asked me why doctors don't want to work in rural areas; why PSD scholars don't want to come back to the country to work; and what inspires me to be successful."

In PSD's merit category - 85 percent is based on academic excellence, 10 percent on co-curricular activities and five percent on the interview.

Heamanthaa's father Padmanaban opined that it is unlikely for his daughter to fail her PSD interview, as she had received good remarks from the US Embassy visa approval officer when she attended an interview last year.

At a press conference yesterday, Heamanthaa said she had appealed to MCA and MIC as well as to several NGOs.

"Please give it to those who are worthy - that's all I ask, give scholarships to all those who deserve them," she added.

Imagine the anguish when their applications are rejected or not offered the courses they want, she said.

Another who suffered the same fate as Heamanthaa was Chai Sheng Min from SMK St Joseph in Kuching, Sarawak who obtained 10As. He said he was only offered a scholarship to study engineering at Universiti Technology Petronas, while his two friends with 4As and 5As respectively were awarded scholarships to pursue science degrees in the United States.

"I hope this doesn't get repeated again in the coming years and the issue is addressed once and for all," Hemanthaa said.

PSD Scholarships: PM Najib’s another wayang kulit at meeting tomorrow as racist UMNO did for 54 years in segregating top Indian poor students.

At tomorrow’s meeting with the PSD, the racist UMNO Prime Minister will announce a blanket but kosong propaganda in the print and electronic media that in his 1Malaysia all students must be given the opportunity to peruse higher education but giving rural (read Malay muslim) students a handicap.
Thereafter behind the scenes Najib will direct the racist BTN trained PSD to go full steam in segregating and excluding top and high achieving Indian poor students from perusing higher education.
PM Najib Razak has refused to reply to HRP’s letter dated 24/5/2011 where we pointed out the case of Kugnethran Parmusuan,  a Science stream student who produced the best of the best 12A+ in SPM but denied a scholarships to persue medicine overseas but insulted by giving him an animal husbandry diploma course to do at UPM. Imagine the devastation of this student whose ambition is to be a cardiologist.
And after giving them peanuts Najib gets his SMC MIC mandores Dato Thambirajah to do the kosong Tamil media dailies on this top student giving the false impression that all is well for all top Indian students in the country .
But Malay muslim students getting 4A+ and 5A+ were offered places to do pure science in the USA on a full One Malay-sian government scholarships. This level of state sponsored racism and segregationist policies does not take place in any part of the world except in One Malay-sian racist UMNO Prime Minister’s One Malay-sia.
This is just the tip of the iceberg of the disgraceful level of racism inflicted on the Indian poor in every facet of life from womb (denial of birth certificates) to tomb (destruction of Hindu cemeteries).
The only way forward is the passing of the Anti Racial Discrimination Act and the Equal Opportunities Act and an Independent Commission  consisting of 51% of UN appointed Commissioners.
Even radical Indonesia has moved forward against racist by the passing of the Anti Racism Act in 2008.
But in One Malay-sia, racism is the order of the day and done with impunity .
(see NST 26/5/2011 at page 2)
Karunai Nithi @ Compaasionate Justice

HINDRAF activist Raj Manian of Sungai Petani passes away at 6.30pm on 26/5/11. Raj as he is fondly called was the prime mover for the biggest of the nationwide HINDRAF forums at Lunas and Sg.Petani,Kedah in the prelude to the 25th November 2007 HINDRAF Rally. Our Condolences to Mr.Raj’s family. Om Shanthi.

Mr.Raj Manian, 61yrs, funeral at 1.00pm 27/5/2011 at their house No.122, Taman Batu Pekaka, Kuala Ketil and to the crematorium at Sungai Petani, Kedah.