Wife of LTTE detainee claims police intimidation

KUALA LUMPUR: A kin of one of the men arrested under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma) over alleged links to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has claimed police intimidation, including threats and even requests for bribes.

V. Umah Devi, the wife of DAP’s Gadek assemblyman G. Saminathan, claimed she received a call from a police officer requesting for a bribe in exchange for her husband’s freedom.

The police officer allegedly told her that her husband could be released before Deepavali if she “belanja makan” (treat him to a meal), which she understood as a request for a bribe.

“It happened on the third day of my (hunger strike) at 11pm before Deepavali last month. I was sitting outside the Bukit Aman police headquarters when I got a call from a private number (no caller ID).

“The man said that he was a police officer monitoring me sitting outside Bukit Aman and asked me to move but I refused, saying that I just wanted to see my husband released before Deepavali, ” said Umah Devi, 31, who is four months pregnant.

The police officer then allegedly told her that if she wanted to secure her husband’s release, then she needed to come up with a treat and that it would not be a small amount.

“He told me to think how much I can prepare and called me back after 10 minutes.

“But I didn’t believe the police officer when he said that he can release my husband because how is that possible when in total, 12 people were arrested?

“They can’t just release one person. It’s an unbelievable promise, ” she told reporters at the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) office here yesterday after the handover of a memorandum by human rights group Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) to Suhakam.

She was convinced that it was indeed a police officer as the call came from a hidden phone number, and the man, who refused to give his name or rank, was monitoring her sitting outside Bukit Aman with her supporters.

She added that individuals claiming to be the police had also been incessantly calling the families at home, questioning them if they were holding a meeting when they had visitors over.

The families also alleged of frequent police patrols that were out of the norm, especially when visitors came to visit the families at home.

Saminathan’s personal assistant K. Jayasutha claimed to have received a call from an alleged Special Branch officer over her posts on social media about solidarity activities and events.

“Since Saminathan’s arrest, I have been posting articles about why he isn’t a terrorist and also promoting solidarity events like candlelight vigils and prayers.

“The police officer told me to stop posting because they are going viral. I received one intimidating call and my team received four or five more calls, ” she said.

Jayasutha said she felt fearful after receiving the call, adding that the police should be helping the families and not intimidating them or making them feel unsafe.

The families also alleged that the police had threatened to arrest them if they organised any solidarity activities for the 12 detainees.- Star