Bukit Mertajam parliamentarian Steven Sim’s request to visit the Bayan Baru lock-up where a detainee died in custody recently has been rejected by the police.

The MP revealed that Southwest district police chief Supt Lai Fah Hin said he had no power to allow this. "He asked me to apply to Bukit Aman.”

 

Sim ( left ) said his visit was to offer his cooperation to the police, especially to look at improvements for centralised lock-up systems, which were introduced last year by the Home Ministry to prevent further deaths in police custody.

 

It is learnt that the project cost the federal government about RM25 million nationwide but it has so far failed to prevent deaths in custody.

 

Sim said the police should work with all parties to improve their image, which has been largely criticised by the opposition as being ineffective.

Three custodial deaths in three months

Human rights NGOs were alarmed that Penang has seen three custodial deaths in three months this year. Ramasamy Nagu was found dead at the Bayan Baru police station centralised lock-up, established to prevent deaths in custody, on March 1.

 

Human rights NGO Suaram had criticised Lai for describing Ramasamy as a "drug addict" when explaining the reason for his death.

 

Suaram also reminded Lai of two other deaths in custody - A Punniyanathan at the Nibong Tebal police station in mainland Penang on Feb 10 and J Kulanthanga at the Dang Wangi police station in Kuala Lumpur on Feb 18.

 

"No one is accusing them police of foul play. But when you build a facility to prevent deaths in custody and yet it happens, then questions will arise and these must be addressed," Sim said.

 

"The statistics on deaths in custody are no joke. The average is one every month since year 2000, while deaths in custody including other enforcement agencies exceeded 1,500 cases between 2003-2007," he noted.

 

Sim plans to raise this issue further in Parliament when it reconvenes on Monday.

 

He expressed hope that Bukit Aman would eventually permit his visit to the lock-up, together with interested human rights NGOs.