MP: Why were they killed?

The police force in the country must be closely watched and constantly evaluated by an independent commission, especially in light of last night’s shootout in Kulim, Kedah, which claimed the lives of six suspected criminals.

At a press conference in the Parliament lobby today, PKR’s Padang Serai parliamentarian N Gobalakrishnan said the police were incompetent in tackling the matter because if they had been more competent in carrying out their job, the suspects would have been arrested instead of killed in a shootout.

"I want the police to explain if they had undertaken all alternatives before committing to shoot them down," said Gobalakrishnan, adding that one of the suspects killed, R Elanngo, was related to MIC Kedah chief V Saravanan, who is vying to contest in the Bukit Selambau state seat by-election.

"I know Elanggo and he was a successful businessman in Kulim. He has a gold business in Kulim town."

The incident which occurred late last night, took place in a house which was believed to be used as a centre for illegal gold smelting.

Gobalakrishnan gave the names of the others killed in the incident as Santhana, Dhilip Kumar, Pannirselvam, Vadivelu and Chandra, without providing any other details.

He added that he would lodge a police report in Kulim on Friday, so that a thorough investigation can be launched into the matter.

Batu MP Tian Chua echoed Gobalakrishnan’s demand that police explain the reason behind Tuesday’s shootout.

"These tragedies are happening repeatedly and the people are losing confidence in the police," said Tian, in reference to the recent furore over the death of 22-year-old suspected car thief A Kugan.

"This is why the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) has to be tabled, to ensure that there is an independent inquiry into these matters and to ensure that the police are doing their job accordingly," added Tian.

Covering their tracks

In a related matter, Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng brought up the issue of the Bandar Mahkota Cheras fracas.

He said the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) had said in its report that the police and anti-riot squad had used excessive force on residents, but added that the victims were unable to identify the assailants.

In a written answer to his query that the Home Ministry reveal the identities of the cops who had violated the rule of law by using excessive force, the ministry said there was no prosecution because the witnesses could not identify the police personnel who had inflicted the injuries.

"The police would obviously cover up their own tracks but if there was an independent commission to probe into the matter, surely they would be able to identify the policemen who had beaten up Chang Jiur Haur," said Lim.

Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching, who was also present at the press conference today said even though the assailants could not be identified, the government should compensate victims since the Suhakam report had established the police had indeed used excessive force.