The Malaysians for Beng Hock support group has formed an independent seven-member watch panel to keep tabs on the on-going royal commission of inquiry (RCI)  hearing probing the cause of death of Teoh Beng Hock.

NONE The members of the panel are former Bar Council presidents Ambiga Sreenevasan and Yeo Yang Poh, University Malaya associate professor Azmi Sharom, Tenaganita co-founder Irene Fernandez, former Malaysian Medical Association president Ronald S McCoy, SERI senior research fellow Toh Kin Woon and political scientist Wong Chin Huat.

The group also set up a Teoh Beng Hock Royal Commission Watch website , to upload the views and comments of the panel regarding the hearing from time to time.

Despite the video of the hearing being uploaded daily by the Prime Minister’s Department legal affairs division, Ambiga wants the RCI to provide the public more information of the hearing by coming out with a verbatim report.

“The setup of the RCI is to serve the public interest. What’s the use if we don’t know what’s being said and what’s going in there?” she questioned during a press conference with support group coordinators Chong Kok Siong and Ng Yap Hwa.

She said that the verbatim report is to allow those people who are unable to watch and download the video of the proceedings to have a chance to know what was going on in the hearing.

isa bar council 120908 ambiga Three other members of the panel - Fernandez, McCoy and Toh - were also present.

Ambiga ( right ) also invited the Malaysian Medical Association to give its views and take a stand if there is any shortfall in the testimony of the medical personnel during the hearing.

“We would like to invite the Malaysian Medical Association, please give their views and take a stand, because only the MMA can do it,” she said.

Shadow report to relevant authorities

Fernandez expressed her dissatisfaction over the direction of the commission to determine whether the cause of death of the former political aide was suicide, by asking psychiatrists to interview his family members to determine Teoh’s state of mind.

“How could a third person tell that he’s going to commit suicide?” she questioned, adding that the state is trying to run away from its responsibilities over Teoh’s death.

She slammed the RCI for not seriously probing the interrogating method of the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers, despite lots of complaints being received.

Meanwhile, Ng said that the support group will submit a shadow report to the relevant authorities which will be unveiled later, when the RCI submit its report on April 25.

He said that the report will be also available to the members of the public as a check and balance on the efforts done by the commission throughout the three-month hearing.