DAP’s publicity secretary Tony Pua has blasted what he claims was the Health Ministry’s “irresponsibility” for allowing its inquiry into the alleged assault on the Tung Shin and Chinese maternity hospitals compound on July 9 to be taken over by the police.

Speaking to reporters after recording his statement at the Petaling Jaya district police headquarters over the incident, the Petaling Jaya Utara MP said the ministry’s high-level committee inquiry into the events of the day had become a lame duck as officers from the federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman were now calling the shots instead.

tear gas fire at tung shin hospital 090711 3 Pua claims to have witnessed himself the police firing of tear gas and water cannon into the hospital compound during the Bersih 2.0 rally for clean and fair elections.

He was called to give his statement to the police after he volunteered to help the Health Ministry with its inquiry into the July 9 incident.

Pua cited investigating officer ‘ASP Marzukhi’ as having confirmed with him that Bukit Aman had already taken over the investigations into the Tung Shin hospital incident.

“The Health Ministry has the responsibility to take care the well being of the hospital… This shows the irresponsibility of Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai. He should explain this,” Pua told reporters.

The committee of enquiry had been set up by the Health Ministry last month to investigate what happened at the hospital, but the investigation’s outcome has yet to be revealed until today.

NONE According to previous news reports, Liow said that the committee will focus on the investigation into the doctor and patients of the hospital when the incident happened, and will let the police probe from the public side to avoid duplication.

Kuala Lumpur CID chief Ku Chin Wah announced that the police will set up two special teams as well, to investigate the same matter two days after the announcement by the ministry.

Pua, together with two other DAP MPs - Teo Nie Ching (Serdang) and Liew Chin Tong (Bukit Bendera) and the political secretary to the Penang CM Lim Guan Eng, Zairil Khir Johari, have publicly offered themselves to testify in order to assist the inquiry.

However, Pua received a letter from the secretariat of the committee last Friday, saying that the committee has asked police to contact them to give their statements .

According to Pua, ASP Marzukhi told him the investigation is close to being completed, but the officer didn’t reveal the conclusion of the investigation.

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