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Beng Hock case: NGOs want action, say apology is not accountability
A coalition of NGOs has urged the government to do more to ensure justice for the death of political aide Teoh Beng Hock.
The CSO Platform for Reform, which represents 72 NGOs, said that while it acknowledges the MACC’s apology and positive changes to its investigative methods, it does not absolve the anti-graft agency.
Summary
A coalition of 72 NGOs urges govt to establish an independent investigation team into Teoh Beng Hock’s death and enact laws to prevent custodial deaths.
The CSO Platform for Reform says the MACC’s apology and procedural reforms are not enough without firm action, following the attorney-general’s decision to classify the case as “no further action”.
A coalition of NGOs has urged the government to do more to ensure justice for the death of political aide Teoh Beng Hock.
The CSO Platform for Reform, which represents 72 NGOs, said that while it acknowledges the MACC’s apology and positive changes to its investigative methods, it does not absolve the anti-graft agency.
The coalition emphasised that apologies and procedural reforms are insufficient without a genuine and serious commitment to justice.
“For the apology to be meaningful, it must be matched by firm and irreversible action,” CSO Platform for Reform said in a statement today.
Set up independent investigation team
The group called on the government to establish an independent investigation team beyond the purview of the MACC and police to complete and publish the findings related to Teoh’s case.
It also wants the government to enact new laws to prevent deaths in custody across all enforcement agencies, including the MACC.
This entails ensuring clear procedures, CCTV surveillance, and full transparency in all custodial interrogations.
Teoh, who was an aide to then-Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead in 2009 after an overnight questioning at Selangor MACC’s headquarters, which was at Plaza Masalam, Shah Alam, at the time.
A royal commission of inquiry (RCI) ruled Teoh was driven to suicide due to aggressive interrogation, but the Court of Appeal ruled in 2014 that his death was caused or accelerated by unlawful acts, including those of MACC officers.
Disappointing NFA
Last year, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim pledged to the family that the case would be investigated thoroughly.
In May, however, the Attorney-General’s Chambers ultimately classified the case as “no further action” (NFA).
“This (NFA) decision extinguishes the remaining hope for criminal prosecution of those responsible for his death - despite an RCI in 2011 concluding that MACC officers had used aggressive, inappropriate, and unlawful interrogation methods that contributed directly to Teoh’s death,” the CSO Platform for Reform lamented.
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After so many inquiries and criminal investigations they cannot find anyone who could have deliberately murdered TBH. Which means his death could be due to misadventure, to a fall when he tried to escape from the the MACC premises. That seems to be what happened. It is unusual for the MACC to apologise. So I hope the TBH committee will accept the money offered and stop this crusade against Malay officers who were only doing their job.
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