Hawker Lim Thiam Fook decided to change his police statement and withdraw the allegation that he was extorted by three police officers on June 2 for failing to produce a letter granting him permission to operate during the "total lockdown".
However, the reasons behind his decision to change his police statement also seemed to change at a press conference with Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng (above, second from left) yesterday.
Initially, it was assumed that the 21-year-old hawker wanted to change his statement because he admitted he made false accusations in it and that the whole "extortion" incident did not take place.
So, during the press conference, Lip Eng denounced the hawker for having "cheated" the police, the media and the public by making a "false accusation" against the police.
“In the past few days, we also found his statements to be a bit inconsistent. On Monday (June 14), he suddenly changed his statement, admitting he was making false accusations and saying the incident never happened.
“Why did he say that? According to him, they made this lie simply because they did not want to do business on that day,” Lip Eng said.
The MP said Thiam Fook decided to change his statement after being interrogated by the police on Monday.
Lip Eng said his assistants, who accompanied Thiam Fook and the investigation officers, had repeatedly reminded the hawker about the consequences of making a false report and advised him not to do so.
According to Lip Eng, Thiam Fook insisted on changing his earlier statement and admitted he made a false report.
“I would like to apologise, without any reservation, to all parties, especially to the police force and media for the huge mistake for this false accusation by this young man,” Lip Eng said at the press conference yesterday.
Following that, the MP then invited Thiam Fook to further explain his move to the press.
However, Thiam Fook then denied lying and insisted he was extorted by three police officers.
He stressed that the reason he changed his police statement was merely because he wanted the matter to be settled as soon as possible, due to the pressure he was facing.
The hawker said he was overwhelmed by the continuous investigation by the police and concerns arising from the media and the public after the incident was reported.
“I am just a hawker. But now I have to go to the police station almost every day... I need to work and I do not want this to take any longer. This is just a waste of time since I could not recognise the (alleged) officers too.
“I was hoping to settle this issue as soon as possible. That is why I decided to retract my earlier statement,” Thiam Fook said.
Called in to give his statement several times
According to him, the police visited his stall and called him to the police station to give his statement several times in the past week.
The latest police station visit was last Monday and it took him eight hours, he said.
“I spent eight hours there on Monday and I could not operate my business at all... I really do not want to go on like this anymore. I just want to solve this in my own way,” he said.
Asked if he is clear about the consequences of changing his earlier statement to the police, Thiam Fook said he did think about it and was willing to face any consequences.
He also repeatedly confirmed that he was not lying about the "extortion" incident and just hoped for the situation to quieten down as soon as possible.
He told the media it was not his intention to hold a press conference in the first place and he did not plan to make a fuss about it.
“I cannot take the pressure anymore. I just want it to end quickly.
“Sometimes I have to give my statement a few times a day, sometimes it takes until midnight. I just want to do my business. Furthermore, I could not identify the officers so I decided to let it go,” he said.
Referring to Thiam Fook’s explanation, Lip Eng said the law would only refer to the statement taken by the police.
“Whatever he said now cannot be recognised by the law. They will only refer to the police statement,” said the lawmaker.
He also clarified that his assistants had sought Thiam Fook’s consent to hold a press conference on June 6.
Meanwhile, Sentul District police chief ACP Beh Eng Lai confirmed that Thiam Fook admitted to making a false report.
“He also apologised to me for his mistake,” Beh said when contacted by Malaysiakini.
Previously, Beh told Malaysiakini that the hawker was unable to identify any suspects when they were at the police station on Monday.
On June 6, Thiam Fook and his 13-year-old assistant, accompanied by Lip Eng, held a press conference during which Thiam Fook claimed he was extorted by three police personnel while driving to a food court in the early morning of June 2.
He said when the police officers found out he did not have an approval letter from the International Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti) to operate during the lockdown, they threatened to detain him and his assistant if they could not pay a fine of RM3,000.
Thiam Fook alleged the police officers also poured out his stew onto the ground, saying that they had to "check for drugs" before taking RM500 from him to "settle the issue".
Following that, the police investigated this case under Section 384 of the Penal Code for extortion. - Mkini
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