najib altantuya Five had to share one cup of water, inquiry told - nizar

Saturday August 15, 2009

Five had to share one cup of water, inquiry told

KUALA LUMPUR: A witness told Suhakam that five people arrested during a candlelight vigil outside the Brickfields police station on May 7 were only given a cup of water to share.

Ginie Lim said police at the Traver’s police station, where she and the others were detained that night, gave them another cup of water only after several requests.

Lim, the media co-ordinator for PKR, claimed she was asked to sign a waiver form declaring she was giving up her rights to have a lawyer present when police recorded her statement.

“I crossed on the dotted line as a sign of protest,” she said yesterday in a public inquiry held by Suhakam.

The inquiry into the arrest and detention of five lawyers from the Kuala Lumpur Legal Aid Centre was conducted by three commissioners.

They were chairman Datuk Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, Datuk Dr Michael Yeoh and Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria.

Two other witnesses, Teh Yee Keong, 24, an online journalist, and undergraduate Neow Ti Hooi, 22, also claimed the police asked them to sign the same kind of waiver.

Lim, Teh, Neow and Bukit Lanjan assemblyman Elizabeth Wong were the four witnesses appearing before the Suhakam commissioners.

The inquiry continues today.

If the police can deny a cup of water to a detainee, I am not surprised that the police can also deny him or her of medical treatment. So, any wonder why detainees like Kugan could die in police custody?