The settlement between Beijing Urban Construction Group (BUCG) and the family of Chin Khoon Sing who was crushed to death by a crane should be respected, but this did not mean those responsible are absolved, said Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh.

“There can be no doubt that BUCG owes a duty of care not only to Chin but to the public as a whole, particularly since its operations were at a highly crowded and congested area in the heart of Kuala Lumpur,” he said in a statement today.

Chin was killed instantly in Bukit Bintang on the night of Aug 25 when the crane hook from a construction site run by BUGC fell onto the car that she was driving. The crane operator reportedly fled the country.

Ramkarpal said other parties should also be held responsible if investigation reveals that they are liable.

“If investigations reveal that other parties such as the crane equipment owner and crane operators were negligent or that the equipment used were faulty leading to, for example, the snap of the chain which carried the hook, then surely those parties must be held responsible as well.

“I have also said before that investigations must be carried out in relation to whether or not there were any elements of corruption behind the tragedy as it is highly suspicious as to how the crane operator was able to operate the machine after the permitted operating hours and beyond the permitted operating zone as previously reported.

“These are matters which concern the entire nation as such incidents must be avoided at all costs as they affect the public in general,” he said.

As such, Ramkarpal said the settlement does not detract from the fact that the parties responsible must be brought to book.

“In the circumstances, I urge the police to publicly disclose the findings from their investigations and for other stakeholders such as the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) to do the same.

“The matter cannot be allowed to fade merely because a settlement has been reached between Chin’s family and BUCG,” he said.