Police told to focus on rape investigation and release of Mongolian women

Police should focus their investigation on the alleged rape of two Mongolian women by a cop as well as to release three other women who had reported the incident, urged DAP Wanita and 18 organisations.

In a statement issued today, DAP Wanita international secretary Kasthuriraani Patto and its legal bureau chief Sangeet Kaur Deo said that the three Mongolian women should not have been arrested and placed under an interim protection order (IPO) as they are crucial witnesses in the purported rape of the other two fellow Mongolian nationals.

Yesterday, Malaysiakini reported that three Mongolian women were first detained and then placed under an IPO for a purported investigation into human trafficking, after the trio blew the lid over the alleged rape of their two fellow nationals by a police inspector.

“The other three girls are witnesses as the recipients of the first complaints in relation to the rape. There is no basis whatsoever for the girls to now have been arrested and forcefully kept under an IPO.

“Why were they detained if they acted in the best interests of the victims, which is to report and tip off the abduction and rape of the victims?

“The PDRM (police) must clearly state what is the basis of an investigation in relation to human trafficking is and whether anyone suspected to have trafficked the girls, has been remanded at all,” the two DAP Wanita members said.

Kasthuriraani and Sangeet said that placing the three women in a safe house while under the IPO and at the same time having been handcuffed by the police, could amount to clear attempts of intimidation and harassment of the three potential witnesses to the rape.

The two claimed that the two rape victims were also handcuffed, which could amount to intimidation and harassment of the two Mongolian nationals, who under no circumstances should be victims of mishandling by the authorities.

“With all due respect, the PDRM must not digress from the main complaint here which is the alleged abduction and rape.

“The suspect is a high-ranking police officer and transparency in this investigation is vital. There must be no cover up or side-tracking from the rape investigation.

“Reports suggest that the perpetrator was remanded for five days. We urge the PDRM to clearly state what the status of the investigation is in relation to the abduction and rape charge and whether the suspect will be charged or the remand extended pending further investigations,” the two said.

“We strongly urge that the IPO under ATIPSOM (Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act) should be set aside and the three women should be released and focus should be on rape investigations and charging the perpetrator.”

Meanwhile, in a separate statement, the All Women’s Action Society (AWAM) and 17 other groups made similar demands for the police to prioritise the rape investigation of the two Mongolian victims and to release the other three women immediately.

“It is disturbing that the three women who were seeking redress and justice for their friends have been detained in this manner. If not for them, the rape of their friends would not have come to light.

“As such, they should be treated as whistleblowers, who should be protected under the Whistleblower Protection Act and not detained under ATIPSOM.

“We are deeply concerned that the investigation of the two women will be derailed by the new investigation on human trafficking.

“While the police are allowed to carry out simultaneous criminal investigations, we call the police to remain focused on the actual issue at hand - the (alleged) rape of the two women by the police inspector,” AWAM and the other 17 groups said.

The other 17 groups were Empower, Foreign Spouses Support Group (FFSG), Sisters in Islam (SIS), Association of Women Lawyers (AWL), Justice for Sisters, Women's Centre for Change (WCC) Penang, Perak Women For Women Society (PWW), Sabah Women's Action Resource Group (SAWO), Suaram, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM), G25, Gerak (Pergerakan Tenaga Akademik Malaysia), Aliran, Amnesty International Malaysia, Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), Engage, and Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall Women Division.

Currently under the IPO, the three Mongolian women reportedly have raised the alarm over the alleged rape of their two fellow nationals at the hands of a police inspector.

The suspect has since been arrested and remanded to facilitate investigations into the alleged rape. - Mkini