Teoh Beng Hock’s sister Lee Lan has today lodged a police report over alleged threats made against her in a Facebook posting by a former MCA leader (Bilce Tan).

NONE Lee Lan ( left ) lodged the police report at the Dang Wangi police station at about 2pm, and had her statement recorded at the Wangsa Maju police station shortly afterwards.

“The police report is over a posting in Facebook , which I deemed a threat. The posting said we should send Lee Lan to see her brother as soon as possible,” she said.

“The posting made was made in Mandarin sometime on Nov 1, and I do not know what its purpose is.”

Lee Lan said police took about an hour to record the report and she spent another half an hour to have her statement recorded at the Wangsa Maju police station.

Her lawyer, Loi Kwong Fon, accompanied her in lodging the police report and to have her statement recorded.

Loi said he does not know what the police have classified the offence or investigation as, but believed such statements made were meant as a threat.

Groups lodge report with Suhakam

Earlier, human rights NGO Suaram and the advocacy group for death-in-detention victims, Malaysians for Beng Hock, lodged an official protest over the detention of civil rights activists during the recent Galas by-election.

NONE Six representatives from the two groups handed over their three-page protest memorandum to Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) commissioner Muhammad Sha'ani Abdullah at the commission's office in Kuala Lumpur this morning.

“We welcome the complaint... we will look into it. I would like to urge the people to use the avenue provided by Suhakam to bring forward human rights complaints.

“It is not a question of whether we have gigi (teeth) or not, but at least Suhakam has some standing and we can pursue the case,” Muhammad Sha’ani said when accepting the memo.

Leading the delegation was Malaysians for Beng Hock coordinator Chong Kok Siong. He was accompanied by fellow members Ng Yap Hwa, Soh Cher Hai and Teoh Lee Lan. Suaram coordinator Mun Hui and A Jayanesh attended on behalf of their NGO.

azlan “We hope that Suhakam can exert pressure on the government to look into the issue, as well as to institute royal commissions of inquiry to probe deaths in custody,” said Chong, expressing hope that the commission, though toothless as the commissioner himself admitted, would act firmly.

The memo also demanded that the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission be set up and a Human Rights Act be introduced.

Last week, four members of Malaysians for Beng Hock were arrested by police in Galas, Kelantan, for allegedly breaching article 4(a) (1) of the Elections Offences Act.

Malaysians for Beng Hock is a civil society group set up to demand justice for DAP political secretary Teoh Beng Hock who died mysteriously on July 16 last year, after being questioned overnight by the MACC at its Selangor headquarters in Shah Alam.

The group now has extended its fight to demand justice for all death-in-detention victims.

Educating law enforcement

Mohammad Sha’ani ( right ) also admitted that the problem in cases like this NONE was the need to educate law enforcers about proper conduct and human rights.

Most often, he said, police officers and other law enforcers did not even understand human rights.

“ Bodoh is the standard word that the police use on detainees. It is a verbal, psychological treatment they use to intimidate the subjects.

“When they arrest, they can only detain the subject, they are not supposed to scold and shout at them,” he said.

Mohammad Sha’ani said while there have been some workshops where Suhakam has educated some members of the law enforcement community, this obviously was not enough.

While admitting that Suhakam could only advise and make proposals to the government, the commission, he added, would continue to improve Malaysia’s human rights track record by educating law enforcers and the public.