Part of the exchanges between defence counsel M. Puravalen and Bangladeshi witness Moron Mozumder in Irene Fernandez's "false news" trial this morning. Mozumber spoke through an interpreter.

Q : Could you tell us the physical positioning of the detainees while they were performing oral sex?

A : The physical position of oral sex, one detainee is standing, and the other one facing him and bending down and performing oral sex.

Q : Was the group that was performing oral sex at the time in a position other than bending?

A : Most of them were performing by bending themselves, and 2-3 persons performed that act by sitting.

Q : There is a difference between sitting, squatting and kneeling. Just describe to us.

A : Sitting on buttocks. (Witness demonstrates by squatting.)

Q : What did they do with their hands?

A : The person performing was sometimes holding his own knees or sometimes he was holding the standing person's body.

Q : What about the standing person, what was he doing?

A : The person was standing and holding his penis.

Q : How long did this exercise take?

A : In between 40 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes.

Q : Earlier you testified that both these men were naked and they were performing masturbation. What about when they were performing oral sex, were they naked?

A : When they were performing oral sex, both of them were naked.

Q : Were they forced to perform oral sex just by motion or until the other party ejaculated?

A : Ejaculation was done before and that act was given to them just to perform oral sex.

Q : When you said that the ejaculation was done before, are you referring to the masturbation that you had testified to?

A : Yes, I referred to the masturbation.

Q : What happened to those who tried to avoid doing the oral sex act?

A : The police caned them.

Q : They were caned. They were beaten when they were naked?

A : Yes, they were naked.

Q : What about the reaction of the persons participating in this act? How did they react?

A : Most of them were closing their eyes with their hands.

Q : Besides the eyes, what was the reaction of the men when they had the penis inserted into their mouths?

A : Most of them whose mouths were inserted by penis, they vomited.

(At this juncture, the witness said he felt like vomiting.)

Q : Besides the fact that when penis was inserted and they vomited, how were they forced to perform the oral sex?

A : All of them were at first unwilling. Then all of them were beaten to participate in oral sex.

Q :They were beaten?

A : All of them.

Q : What were the policemen doing when the oral sex was being performed?

A : Police were watching, forcing (the inmates) to perform it.

Q : What were they watching?

A : Police were watching their penis size, how they were performing police watching whether they were sucking the penis or just putting the penis in the mouth.

Q : You had informed us earlier that there were 120 Burmese detainees and there were 5-6 police officers. How did these police officers observe them all?

A : This group of police walked around that 120 people.

Q : Now the behaviour of the police, besides walking around, did they say anything? Did they shout, encourage or do anything?

A : There was no encouragement, it was totally forced order.

Q : Explain what you mean by forced order.

A : What I mean by forced order is, if you don't do, you get beaten.

Q : Did you see anyone not being beaten in the exercise?

A : More or less everybody was beaten.

Q :When the penis was withdrawn from the mouth, what happened to the person who was sucking? What did they do to their mouths?

A : Those performed the oral sex

Q : Penis goes in, penis goes out. After the whole thing has finished, what happened to the mouth?

(Witness at this juncture had to leave the witness stand, expressing his disgust. Court took a fifteen-minute break)

Q : Mr. Mozumder, my last question to you was when the penis was withdrawn from the mouth, what was the reaction of the person whose mouth had been used?

A : Most of them closed their mouths with their hands, and ran towards toilet to vomit.

Q : What about those who had the oral sex performed on them? What was their reaction immediately after the act?

A : They stayed put.

Q : What was the reaction on their faces that you saw?

A : Their faces were pale, shame, feel like crying.

Q : How do you know they felt like crying?

A : Most of them started crying then.

Q : How could you tell from their faces that they were feeling shame?

A : Because some of them were covering their eyes with their hands, and some of them looking down to the ground.

Q : What about the police officers, the 4-5 police officers, immediately after the oral sex, what did you see as to how they behaved?

A : They were laughing and clapping.

Q : Could you hear what they said?

A : I didn't hear anything.

Q :Did they say something and you couldn't hear because you didn't understand the language?

A : They didn't say anything.