Why did Beng Hock die? Who are his killers?

by P. Ramakrishnan

January 11, 2011 — We don’t need experts or eminent persons to tell us if Teoh Beng Hock’s human rights have been violated. Ask the common man in the street and he will tell you right away that Beng Hock’s rights have been blatantly and violently abused and violated. This fact is as plain as daylight.

So why do we need a royal commission of inquiry to find out “whether it (MACC) had violated human rights”. Beng Hock’s family is not interested in this. Malaysians don’t want a RCI to waste its time in investigating procedures adopted by the MACC with regard to his death. That’s not the issue, dear Prime Minister.

All that everyone is dying to find out is how did Beng Hock die? Why did he die? Who caused his death?

The inquest has clearly stated that it wasn’t a suicide. How then did he drop from the 14th floor and land on the 5th floor of the MACC building? Who was responsible for this fall from the 14th floor, dear Prime Minister?

The inquest has confirmed that there were pre-fall neck injuries. Who caused these injuries on Beng Hock’s neck? Why were these injuries caused? What damage did these injuries do to Beng Hock? Did he die as a result of these injuries? This is what Beng Hock’s family is demanding to know, dear Prime Minister.

Why are you wasting everybody’s time setting up a RCI to carry out irrelevant investigations that will not throw any light as to how Beng Hock died — and why. This is what the whole country is interested in, dear Prime Minister.

Beng Hock was interrogated for nearly 11 hours from 5pm right up to 3.45am the next day in the most inhuman way. He was deprived of food, denied sleep and rest and subjected to intense questioning. What does that suggest, dear Prime Minister?

Before 5pm on that day —July 15, 2009 — it was a working day for Beng Hock. Assuming that he got up for work at 7am, it would add another 10 hours to his non-stop questioning for nearly 11 hours. That would mean he was on his feet for almost 21 hours. Doesn’t it strike you as an extreme form of torture that he was subjected to in a barbaric manner, dear Prime Minister?

Under the circumstance, do we really need a RCI to tell us that Beng Hock’s human rights were indeed violated? Isn’t it very apparent? Isn’t it rather obvious?

What is not apparent and what is not obvious is: How did Beng Hock die? Who caused his death? Who are his killers? That is all Beng Hock’s family is dying to know in order to bring closure to this human tragedy, dear Prime Minister.

The purpose of the RCI should simply be to establish why and how Beng Hock died. Any other investigation will not do justice to Beng Hock’s family, dear Prime Minister.

* P. Ramakrishnan is president of Aliran.