The special panel tasked at probing the shooting of 14-year-old Aminulrasyid Amzah dismissed lawyers questioning its legal standing.

Panel deputy chairman Ahmad Fuad Abdul Aziz said: "Let them make noise.

"We are doing our job. We just started our work."

"If they want to comment, let them comment. We cannot stop them from talking," he said when asked to comment on the allegations.

Ahmad Fuad, who is also the home ministry secretary-general, then refused to entertain anymore questions before hurriedly hanging up when Malaysiakini contacted him on his cell phone today.

While it is understood that the police are close to wrapping up their investigations, the panel will still meet tomorrow at 9am for their weekly meeting at the home ministry in Putrajaya.

"No legal provision for panels"

Lawyers acting on behalf of the slain teenager have previously described the panel as "neither here nor there", pointing out that there was no legal provision for such entities.

" tian chua media police suit pc 090307 latheefa koya It is not a royal commission of inquiry nor is it a Suhakam inquiry where there are established laws and practices governing its powers, conduct and procedures,"  lawyers Latheefa Koya ( right ) and N Surendran  had said in a joint statement yesterday.

Without any legal basis, they said that the panel would not be able to define its role clearly though it was announced a few days ago that it would also review standard procedures involved in the discharging of firearms by the police.

"Is Malaysia a country governed by laws and legal procedures or by political dictates and whims as seemingly exemplified by the conduct of the deputy home minister and this special panel?" they asked.

Special panel to review police SOP

It was previously reported the panel, apart from monitoring the police investigations of the shooting, will also review and submit recommendations to the standard operating procedure of the police when discharging firearms on the duty, as well as the standing orders of the inspector-general of police and the district police chief.

J NONE ust yesterday, the panel had also visited the scene of the incident where Aminulrasyid was shot in the back of the head when he and his friend were in the car trying to flee from police cars.

The panel chairman Abu Seman Yusop, who is also the deputy home minister, said that they had met four police officers yesterday morning, including the state criminal investigations department chief and case investigating officer.