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No deliberate delay, says Saifuddin as Durian Tunggal police shooting inquest remains in limbo
Nearly a year after police shot dead three men in Durian Tunggal, Malacca, questions over whether the killings amounted to extrajudicial executions remain unanswered, with the judicial inquiry into the deaths yet to get off the ground.
Although the Attorney-General’s Chambers ordered an inquest in July this year, there has been little progress towards convening the proceedings, leaving the victims’ families waiting for answers.
This prompted DAP lawmaker RSN Rayer to...
Nearly a year after police shot dead three men in Durian Tunggal, Malacca, questions over whether the killings amounted to extrajudicial executions remain unanswered, with the judicial inquiry into the deaths yet to get off the ground.
Although the Attorney-General’s Chambers ordered an inquest in July this year, there has been little progress towards convening the proceedings, leaving the victims’ families waiting for answers.
This prompted DAP lawmaker RSN Rayer to seek an explanation from the government.
In a written parliamentary reply yesterday, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail denied the inquest was deliberately delayed. He attributed the wait to the unavailability of a court date.
He said Bukit Aman had filed an application with the Malacca courts for an inquest on Aug 11 but was still awaiting a date for the proceedings.
/file/publisher-c1a3f893382d2b2f8a9aa22a654d9c97/2022/12/8fde8817a2e5e02d350fd76645a12789.jpg "Attorney General's Chambers HQ office building generic Jabatan Peguam Negara 151222 Attorney-General's Chambers AGC")
"The government wishes to emphasise that this inquest proceeding was not intentionally delayed," he added.
Saifuddin said the Home Ministry would ensure that police fully cooperate with both the court and the AGC throughout the proceedings.
"The government respects the independence of the judicial process and will not prejudge any findings of the court," he added.
Shooting incident
On Nov 24 last year, police shot dead M Puspanathan, T Poovaneswaran and G Logeswaran, aged between 24 and 29.
Malacca police chief Dzulkhairi Mukhtar had defended the shooting, claiming that one of the men attacked and injured a police officer with a machete.
However, the victims’ families disputed the police account after an audio recording, purportedly of a phone call made by one of the men during the incident, surfaced, raising serious questions about whether the trio had been killed in cold blood.
A post-mortem report disclosed on July 7 appeared to lend weight to the families’ concerns. It found that two of the men had been shot in the head, while the third sustained a close-range gunshot wound to the chest, with the bullet travelling downwards.
/file/publisher-c1a3f893382d2b2f8a9aa22a654d9c97/2025/12/6e5fbc4cfe62573612ab09bc797f0549.jpg "Photos from whistleblower Durian Tunggal Malacca shooting, press conference at Lawyers for Liberty 151225")
Lawyer Rajesh Nagarajan, who represents the families, said one of the victims had been shot directly in the forehead, with the bullet exiting through the lower right rear of the head.
He added that soot around the wounds indicated that the shots had been fired from extremely close range.
The public outcry eventually prompted Bukit Aman to open a murder investigation. Following a review of the investigation papers, the AGC ordered an inquest.
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So meanwhile, what has happened to the police officers involved?
Some comments jump straight to blaming the government, yet the article itself says steps have been taken. The AGC has ordered an inquest, and police applied for a court date in August. It is unfair to say nothing has been done when the proceedings are awaiting a date from the court. The government must respect the court’s independence. Still, the families have waited a long time. Regular updates and full police cooperation would help show that their concerns are being taken seriously.
Outrageous. The evidence so far overwhelmingly justifies a murder charge. They are frustrating justice at every single turn. Why have the officers involved not been arrested and charged?
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