The yet-to-be-registered Parti Reformasi Insan Malaysia (Prim) has requested an urgent meeting with Home Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to discuss incidences of death in police custody.

In a letter dated yesterday, Prim pointed out that the death rate in police custody has risen by 225 percent since the year 2000, based on figures given by Deputy Home Minister Chor Chee Heung.

Chor said that six people died in police custody in 2000, ten died in 2001, while 18 have died so far up to September 2002 when answering a question in Parliament on Oct 14.

The letter, signed by Prim Police Watch and Human Rights Committee legal adviser P Uthayakumar, rejected Chor's explanation that there was no evidence to link detainees death to police brutality, asserting that they had documented cases of death in custody and police brutality over a 10-year period in a memo that was handed to Abdullah on July 1 this year.

Highlights of letter

It further rejected the police explanation that the majority of deaths were caused by the detainees trying to escape, disputing the fact that trained police officers could not re-capture them alive.

It also highlighted the fact that no disciplinary or legal action had been taken against officers that allowed detainees to escape.

The letter also noted that eight Indian youths had died in custody or been shot dead by the police since June 21 but inquests had begun in just two cases so far.

It called for an inquest into the latest case, that of M Uthayamaran, 33, who died while being taken to Kajang Hospital from the Kajang Police Station lockup on Monday (Nov 11).

Uthayakumaran's widow, V Madavi, 33, disputes the official cause of death heart disease and has alleged that he died after being beaten by police officers. She lodged a police report at the Kampung Baru police station in Buntong near Ipoh on Nov 12 demanding an inquiry into her husband's death.

The letter questioned the absence of mandatory inquests into each and every case of death in custody as stated in the Criminal Procedure Code, the lack of disciplinary action taken against police officers in such cases, the non-disclosure of post mortem reports to the families of the deceased, the absence of written explanations by the police and the lack of compensation to the bereaved families.

Commission of Inquiry

It also warned of the "alarmingly high" rate of fatal police shootings in the country, which stands at 1.3 victims per week, based on figures from then Deputy Home Minister Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir in Parliament on May 10, 1999.

Abdul Kadir said that a total of 635 people were shot dead by the police in the past ten years, comprising 355 Malaysians and 280 foreigners.

It asked Abdullah to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate cases of both deaths in custody and fatal police shootings and also look into compensating families of victims and taking more legal and disciplinary actions against the officers responsible.

It also suggested the Commission hold an inquest into each and every case of death in custody or by shooting, implement measures to prevent the loss of life at the hands of the police in future and come up with ways to improve the accountability, standard, credibility and standard of the police force.

Memo to Home Ministry

Prim handed a memo originally intended for Abdullah titled "A Trigger Happy Royal Malaysian Police Force" to Home Ministry parliamentary secretary Abu Zahar Isnin on Oct 31 outside the Dewan Rakyat, calling for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the high rate of fatal shootings.

The memo, which was also handed to National Unity and Social Development Ministry parliamentary secretary S Veerasingam, alleged that the police were assuming the singular role of "judge, jury, prosecutor and executioner" by shooting suspects who are presumed innocent until proven guilty by the court.

The memos were handed over in front of about 20 relatives of police shooting victims, including three pregnant widows and Democratic Action Party (DAP) members of parliament, including party secretary-general Kerk Kim Hock, who pledged to "continue to put pressure" on the government if it did not set up an inquiry.