The police will be summoned to appear before the Suhakam inquiry when it resumes next month.

"We'll be calling the police to appear before the inquiry on Feb 13-16," said Anuar Zainal Abidin, who heads the three-member Suhakam panel.

The inquiry is investigation into allegations of police brutality at the "100,000 People's Gathering" on Nov 5 last year.

According to Anuar, the panel has heard many testimonies given by witnesses which appeared to have implicated the police.

Twenty-nine witnesses have appeared so far, including Keadilan president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and a 17-year-old student.

The Nov 5 gathering organised by Keadilan last year was aborted after police stopped participants from going to the venue at Jalan Kg Kebun, Shah Alam, by cordoning off all entries to the place from the Kesas Highway, creating a massive traffic jam in the process.

Asked what the inquiry would do if the police refused to show up, Anuar said that it will be to the advantage of the police to be present.

"If they don't want to come, we cannot force them. But if we do not get their side of the story, the report will be very one-sided," said Anuar with a smile.

The former senior judge added that according to the Interpretation Act, refusing to answer a summons given by a government body would be an illegal act and that "it is an offence".

Report to Parliament

Annuar also said that the police might be shown a video of participants being beaten by police officers, stating that "it is only fair that they be shown the video".

The report of the inquiry is targeted to be ready by March and then submitted together with Suhakam's annual report to Parliament in April.

Meanwhile, Anuar said that the meeting between Suhakam and the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner's special adviser Brian Burdekin, who visited Malaysia recently, was good.

"He extended an invitation to our commissioners to have a closer interaction with the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva.

"From what Suhakam chairman Musa Hitam has said, we will be sending our commissioners there for greater exposure," Anuar said.

Burdekin was the first Human Rights Commissioner for Australia and was instrumental in the setting up of Indonesia's Human Rights Commission.