Abdul Muiz Ramli, 31, a quality engineer, testified that when Soosaimanicckam struggled with the exercises, he was frequently isolated by the trainers.
“The officers targeted him. I overheard them giggling while observing Soosaimanicckam during training.
“When Soosaimanicckam was isolated, he was instructed to do exercises like push-ups and star jumps under the supervision of several second lieutenants,” he said when reading his witness statement in a case filed by S Joseph against 11 respondents, including navy officers.
The navy commander-in-chief, the Malaysian Armed Forces Council, the defence minister and the Malaysian government are named as the 12th to 15th respondents.
When cross-examined by federal counsel Abdul Hakim Abdul Karim, the seventh witness for the plaintiff said his statement about Soosaimanicckam being targeted by the officers was based on assumption.
The witness said Soosaimanicckam was often surrounded by three to four officers, while other trainees were only monitored by one.
“I observed that more officers were supervising Soosaimanicckam compared with other trainees,” he added.
Muiz said he trained alongside Soosaimanicckam as they were assigned to the same section from the date they registered on May 12, 2018.
In the lawsuit filed on May 19, 2021, Soosaimanicckam’s family is alleging negligence on the part of the respondents for failing to provide emergency treatment when the victim collapsed on the day of the incident.
They claimed there was also negligence in monitoring his well-being and health during training sessions.
The family is seeking general damages, aggravated damages, exemplary damages, and other relief deemed appropriate by the court.
Soosaimanicckam was pronounced dead at the Armed Forces Hospital in Lumut on May 19, 2018.
Last year, the Ipoh Coroner’s Court delivered an open verdict during an inquest into Soosaimanicckam’s death.
Coroner Ainul Shahrin Mohamad determined that the cause of death, which occurred during cadet training at the KD Sultan Idris naval base, was pulmonary oedema.
The hearing before judge Idah Ismail will continue on June 26.