10-hour interrogation: Surendran demands action against police, teachers

Strict disciplinary action must be taken against all police officers and school teachers found to be complicit in the arrest and unlawful interrogation of three Form Five students in Kuala Kubu Baru, Selangor, said PKR vice president N Surendran.

In a statement issued to the media, Surendran expressed dismay over the police's breach of the law as the minors were denied access to parents or lawyers.

“Shockingly, neither the school authorities nor the police informed the parents of the schoolboys that they were to be questioned by police. In fact, at least one of children was explicitly denied permission to call his parents despite pleading to be allowed to do so,” he said.

School authorities, PTA rep instigated the police action

Last Friday, three Form Five students of SMK Kuala Kubu Baru, were taken to a police station for questioning after they tried to return the Interlok textbook to their headmaster. They were put through 10 hours of interrogation at the district police headquarters in the absence of their parents or lawyers.

Civil society leaders and opposition politicians have condemned the police action as the minors had not committed any offence that contravened the law.They urged the government and Education ministry to hold an inquiry upon the matter and to take immediate measures to avoid a recurrence of such an event.

“We call upon the government to respect the rights of children and to act in accordance with international standards of child rights and protection,” said Surendran.

It was alleged that school authorities and a representative of the Parent-Teacher association had instigated the police action against the pupils.

Written by national laureate Abdullah Hussein, the novel Interlok hit headlines when critics argued that it contained a negative portrayal of the Indian and Chinese communities.

There was also reference to Malaysian Indians as "pariah", which has spurred the community to fight for the book's withdrawl from the schools' syllabus. - Malaysia Chronicle