Prioritise justice for Beng Hock in 6-month reform vow, DAP told

Prioritise justice for Beng Hock in 6-month reform vow, DAP told

The Teoh Beng Hock group says DAP had pledged to seek justice for the late Teoh Beng Hock for over a decade but has failed to produce any results.

personal Teoh Beng Hock
Teoh Beng Hock was found dead on the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam after being questioned for hours by MACC on July 16, 2009. (File pic)
PETALING JAYA:
DAP should prioritise seeking justice for  Teoh Beng Hock in its pledge to accelerate reforms in the government over the next six months, says the Teoh Beng Hock Association for Democratic Advancement.

The group’s chairman, Koong Hui Yein, said DAP had pledged to do so for more than a decade, organising annual memorials for the former political aide, but had failed to produce tangible results.

“Failing to include Teoh’s case in its reform agenda would betray the years of support from tens of thousands of people,” Koong said in a statement today.

Teoh, an aide to then Seri Kembangan assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead on the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam, Selangor, on July 16, 2009.

He had been questioned for several hours by officers of the Selangor Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, whose office was on the 14th floor of the building at that time.

An inquest into his death initially returned an open verdict. However, in 2014, the Court of Appeal ruled that his death was caused by “one or more unknown persons”, including MACC officers.

In November last year, the High Court ordered police to complete their long-delayed investigation into Teoh’s death.

However, this was eventually classified as requiring no further action in May, prompting calls for DAP ministers to resign from the Cabinet.

Koong said allowing the police to classify the case as NFA was an example of how DAP and Pakatan Harapan had failed to honour past promises to correct injustice.

She claimed the decision was no different from the Barisan Nasional government’s announcement in 2016 that Teoh’s death had no criminal element.

On Dec 2, DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook said the party would work closely with the prime minister to accelerate reforms over the next six months, following DAP and PH’s drubbing in the Sabah polls.

Singapore’s The Straits Times had quoted sources as saying DAP had also discussed leaving the administration if reforms were not expedited.

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