YOURSAY | Murder probe order means arrests, not silence

YOURSAY | ‘Let us hope the matter concludes in a just and accountable manner.’

AGC orders Durian Tunggal police shooting probed as murder

PM defends authorities as calls renew for IPCMC, accountability

Cogito Ergo Sum: Once the case has been classified as murder under Section 302, the suspects should have been arrested immediately.

Why has the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) not preferred charges against the accused police officers?

They should have been brought before a magistrate for remand without delay. This inordinate delay only provides an avenue for the accused to escape and possibly never be found - like M Indira Gandhi’s ex-husband, who remains at large.

Dr Suresh Kumar: Since this case has been classified as murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code, those involved should have been arrested. No?

Did the police obtain the PLUS Highway CCTV recordings of the events that unfolded on that fateful morning? Those recordings would constitute crucial evidence. Do not tell us the CCTV was faulty on that particular day.

By the way, where are the images or photographs of the 30-year-old police corporal who was allegedly slashed with a machete, almost severing his arm or hand, in an oil palm plantation? Surely there must be a medical report and photographic evidence of the injuries sustained.

Meanwhile, the clearly biased Malacca police chief, who attempted to subvert the investigation by issuing irrelevant public statements bordering on character assassination and who morphed into a moral police officer, should be placed on garden leave.

As head of the state police contingent, he has proven himself highly unprofessional and incompetent.

Unless an independent and neutral body investigates this case, it is most likely to be marked NFA (No Further Action) or dismissed for “lack of evidence”, as has happened repeatedly in the past. We shall watch.

Apanama is back: The AGC’s decision to classify the case as murder under Section 302 is a proper first step. This followed the presentation of ample evidence by the lawyers to the public.

Pressure must be maintained until the perpetrators, the police officer or officers involved, are charged with the murder of three Malaysian Indian men. Let me repeat: this is an extrajudicial killing.

Based on press reports, including in Malaysiakini:

1. On Dec 6, counsel Rajesh Nagarajan stated that information obtained from a pathologist at the Malacca General Hospital indicated that one victim was shot from a top-to-bottom angle, with the bullet entering through the nose and piercing the heart.

The pathologist reportedly explained that if the shot were fired from the front, the bullet would have exited. Instead, the trajectory suggested the victim was kneeling and shot from above, depicting an execution-style killing.

2. On Dec 15, activist Arun Dorasamy stated that he and other lawyers visited the scene and verified the existence of a PLUS Highway CCTV camera, which would have captured the entire incident between 1.25am and 2.21am.

The CCTV footage should corroborate the pathologist’s findings. This would be strong evidence that an execution-style killing occurred. The forensic report is already in the lawyers’ possession. The question remains: where are the PLUS CCTV recordings?

BobbyO: It is a disgrace that it took public pressure and a handful of lawyers to point the police and the AGC in the right direction.

Had this not been exposed, the case would likely have been quietly closed before the stench surfaced. The bigger question is: how many innocent lives have suffered the same fate?

The dead cannot tell their stories. Let us pray that justice is finally served and that those responsible pay for their crimes - rather than seeing yet another case exposed, debated, and ultimately buried, with no one held accountable.

BlueShark1548: When AGC ordered a murder probe on the Malacca shootings, it proved the necessity of the formation of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).

The cabinet should push Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for its formation, a body which is long overdue, given the many events that have happened in Malaysia.

PM has to get out of the Umno mentality he acquired from his close association with Umno since he left Abim (the Malaysian Islamic Movement) for a cabinet post.

Also, the Malacca police chief should go on leave because of his handling of the shooting incident. Those at the top should not defend their juniors without first investigating serious incidents where persons have been shot to death.

FairMind: Just these few months alone, we have heard of various major misconducts of the police - extrajudicial killings, deaths in police custody, sexual assault mishandling, and threats against the public, among others.

Does ignoring all these public outcries justify the extra monetary collection by the police?

If it does, then our PM has lost his heart and care for its citizenry over money. How can the credit of seizures and forfeitures go to the police, as they are just implementing the orders from other authorities?

DAP and all major political parties (connected to the largest number of custodial deaths) have also lost their voices by being silent instead of defending their citizenry.

Mazhilamani: Thanks to the investigation team, the Durian Tunggal shooting has now been reclassified as murder. This was achieved through the relentless efforts of the victims’ spouses, lawyers, and new information from the public.

Let us hope the matter concludes in a just and accountable manner. Senior officers who attempted a cover-up must be appropriately reprimanded. - Mkini