Fifteen people died while in police custody last year bringing the number of such deaths since 1999 to 67, the internal security ministry disclosed today, adding the toll this year so far was one.

Fifteen people died in 1999, followed by seven in 2000, 14 in 2001, and 15 each in 2002 and 2003, it said.

The statistics were provided in the ministry's written parliamentary reply to M Kulasegaran (DAP-Ipoh Barat) in parliament today.

The ministry also stated that detailed inquests were conducted into all police lock-ups deaths as stipulated under section 334 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Commenting to malaysiakini on the reply, Kulasegaran maintained that the inquest process for most of police custody death cases had not been properly done.

He cited the example of M Uthayakumaran, who died at the Kajang police station lock-up in November 2002.

Police claim Uthayakumaran died of heart disease but his family alleged that he was beaten to death by policemen. The family later lodged a police report to demand for a fresh inquiry but their request was turned down.

"All inquiries into police custody deaths must be conducted comprehensively and the findings have to be made public," Kulasegaran, who is also the DAP acting secretary-general, said.

Different figures

The issue of police custody deaths was in the news recently following the case missing detainee , the 24-year-old G Francis Udayapan whom police say is still alive but whose family says is dead.

Meanwhile, the release of the statistics by the ministry today contradicts earlier police custody death figures made available.

On Oct 14, 2002, then deputy home affairs minister, Chor Chee Heung, in a reply in parliament had said that six people had died in police custody in 2000, 10 in 2001 and 18 up to September 2002.

However, on Oct 9 last year, Chor told the Dewan Rakyat that 16 people had died in 2002 while seven died as of July 2003.

These two differing set of figures also do not match with the latest numbers released today.