Family, activists want justice for Beng Hock, reject NFA

Summary

• Teoh Beng Hock’s family rejects the “no further action” decision by the authorities and demands a murder probe into the 2009 death of the political aide.

• They criticise Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and ministers for their apparent silence now, after previously supporting the cause when in the opposition.

• Lawyer-activist M Visvanathan offers to resolve the case in 21 days if appointed by the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

Activists and family members of the late Teoh Beng Hock demanded continued efforts after the authorities recently classified their latest investigation into his death as “no further action” (NFA).

Speaking at a forum in Kuala Lumpur tonight, Beng Hock’s sister Teoh Lee Lan insisted his family members will continue to reject NFA as an answer to their calls for justice.

“After we received the letter (from the police), I texted all DAP leaders to ask their views on this NFA,” she said, referring to past calls for DAP ministers to resign in protest against the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) over its stance.

“Ten months ago, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim met me, my family members and Beng Hock’s son. What did he say? He said he will ask the police to reopen investigations, based on the court’s decision,” she said.

Lee Lan, however, lamented the apparent silence from Anwar and other ministers who, when in the opposition, had previously supported their cause.

“Two weeks have passed. Our prime minister - there’s a war happening overseas - you can ask the international court to investigate (the perpetrators) for murder.

“So, why not the same for Beng Hock? Why not your own citizen?

“Can we accept an NFA? No, we can’t,” she stressed.

Lee Lan has consistently urged the government to reclassify the case under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder, aligning with the Court of Appeal’s 2014 ruling.

Beng Hock, then a political aide to DAP’s Seri Kembangan assemblyperson Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead in 2009 following overnight questioning at the Selangor MACC office, then located at Plaza Masalam, Shah Alam.

While a 2011 Royal Commission of Inquiry concluded that he was driven to suicide due to aggressive interrogation, the Court of Appeal ruled in 2014 that his death was caused or accelerated by unlawful acts, including those committed by MACC officers.

‘Still haunts the nation’

Also present at the forum tonight was lawyer and activist M Visvanathan, who proposed that the AGC appoint him as an ad hoc prosecutor in the case.

“If appointed, I will solve this case within 21 days,” said Visvanathan, who also chairs the Eliminating Deaths and Abuse in Custody Together (Edict) NGO.

“We have had multiple attorneys-general, prime ministers, and inspectors-general of police since 2009, yet the mystery of Teoh’s death still haunts the nation,” he added.

In February, the police said they would employ 3D crime scene reconstruction technology in their investigation.

However, by the end of that month, Beng Hock’s family accused the authorities of targeting them for repeated questioning instead of MACC officers implicated in the case.

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