Fear of losing his life was a reason why a hostage of the Al-Ma'unah group did not make any attempts to escape from the group's hideout in Bukit Jenalik, the High Court heard today.

Special Branch detective sergeant Mohd Shah Ahmad said that throughout his four-day custody, he was filled with fear of being shot dead by the group if he tried to escape.

He also said that it was the fear which had stopped him from seeing who were among the group members who were beside the body of ranger Mattew Medan.

"I was looking down at all the time as I was very scared. I did not look up (to see what's around) at all ... always looked down," he said.

He was answering questions posed by the defence counsel on his four-day ordeal as a hostage of the Al-Ma'unah members in Bukit Jenalik. The 29 are charged with waging war against the country.

Mohd Shah had testified last week, on how he heard three shots being fired after a captured soldier was questioned by members of the group. He said that he was then asked to go to the place where the questioning took place and that's where he saw Mattew's body. (Witness forced to bury colleague, court told, Oct 31)

Followed instructions

To another question put to him today, Mohd Shah said he followed whatever instructions given by the group leader Mohd Amin Mohd Razali because he was afraid of him.

"The other group members were also very afraid of him and all followed whatever he said," said Mohd Shah, adding that he knew some members of the group who ran away from the area.

Mohd Shah also said that despite being worried for his life and being afraid, his frame of mind was positive in identifying all the members of the group who were holed up in Bukit Jenalik.

When asked how he could identify 27 of the 29 defendants as being in that place by calling out their names in court last week, Mohd Shah said he came to know their names from the media reporting.

"I was not informed of their names by anyone. I picked it up from what was reported in the newspapers," he said.

He also said he was not shown photographs of the defendants previously and that he had attended about two identification parades.

He added that he saw all the 27 whom he had identified in the group's hideout in Bukit Jenalik.

Mohd Shah also agreed that there was only one road that could be used by vehicles, that leads to the camp area of the group.

He estimated the camp area to be about half an acre.

Defendants' size

The size of one of the defendants also became a focal point in the hearing today when Mohd Shah and the defendants' lawyer Zulkifli Nordin could not agree on it.

The defendant, Ahmad Sarkawi Sulong, was the first person Mohd Shah and detective R Sagadevan came across on their scouting mission into the area to investigate the gun shots heard.

Zulkifli asked Mohd Shah why both the policemen had not overcome the small-sized Ahmad and take him into their custody. To this, Mohd Shah said Ahmad was stronger than both himself and Sagadevan.

Zulkifli then asked the witness to look at the defendant and describe his physical size to the court.

Mohd Shah said Ahmad was of medium build and smaller than both himself and Sagadevan. He added that he meant the defendant was stronger than them, because he had a weapon with him on that day.

P Ramlee song

Mohd Shah also said that while being held captive, he heard a P Ramlee song, Getaran Jiwa being played from Sek Keb Jenalik, which was just a few hundred metres in front of the group's hideout.

"I also heard one of the defendants' wife pleading with him to surrender. Other voices advising the group to give up were also heard. All came from the direction of the school," he said.

He said the song and voices started on July 4 and went on until the day the group eventually surrendered, July 6.

Mohd Shah also said that he heard gunfire being exchanged by both the security forces and the group, adding that he was not sure who started the shooting.

He said he was not sure how Sagadevan and Mattew were killed and by whom as he did not see the killings.

He also said that his watch was snatched from him after he was taken in custody and he was only guessing the time of the incident when narrating it to the court.

Not aware of arms heist

Mohd Shah said that when he went to investigate the gun shots heard in Bukit Jenalik, he was not aware of the arms theft in the two army camps in Grik.

Mohd Shah was testifying in the "treason" trial of the 29 Al-Ma'unah members who are charged under section 121 of the Penal Code for waging war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, which carries the punishment of death or life sentence, or a fine, if found guilty of waging war or abetting to wage war in the country. (Twenty-nine Al-Ma'unah members claim trial, Aug 9).

They are alleged to have committed the offence between June and July 6 at Pos 2, Km 19, Kuala Rui, Jalanraya Timur-Barat, Grik; Batalion 304, Infantri (AW), Kem Grik, Grik; and in Bukit Jenalik, Sauk, all in Perak

They are alleged to have stolen a cache of weapons and ammunition from two military camps by impersonating army officers in the early hours of July 2. It was widely reported that some of them were arrested on July 6 after surrendering at Bukit Jenalik.

The hearing before Justice Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin continues tomorrow with the same witness.