Friday, May 31, 2013

Who’s lying, ex-IGP or Home Minister, asks DAP MP

An investigation needs to be done to determine who really is lying about the CCTVs in police lock-ups, says DAP's Lim Lip Eng.
A thorough police investigation is needed to determine the culprit who has been misleading the public on whether closed-circuit TV (CCTV) cameras have been installed in police lock-ups, said DAP’s Lim Lip Eng. Speaking to reporters after lodging a police report on the issue at the Jinjang police station today, the Segambut MP said there have been contradicting statements given by former inspector-general of police (IGP) Musa Hassan and Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
“On May 28, Zahid said that the home ministry plans to install CCTVs in police lock-ups, in the wake of the latest death in custody case. However, on May 29, Musa said that CCTVs have already been installed in police lock-ups,” said Lim.
Zahid had said that installing CCTVs in police lock-ups was one of the proposals submitted to the home ministry to enhance police detention procedures. “The CCTV would record the goings-on in the lock-up, and should an injury or death occur, the recording could be used as evidence,” said the home minister.
Musa on the other hand said that most CCTVs in police lock-ups were installed in 2006 but admitted that most of them no longer function due to budget constraints.
Lim explained that the police report was lodged because “they have lied with the intention to create disharmony and endanger the safety of police detainees”.
“Throughout the years, there have been many different answers on this issue. Back in 2011, former Kelana Jaya MP Loh Gwo Burne asked the then home minister Hishammuddin Hussein on the number of police lock-ups which have CCTVs installed.
“Hishammuddin replied by saying that 227 police lock-ups and 36 interrogation rooms have been installed with CCTVs,” said Lim, adding that he left out Loh’s parliamentary query in the police report. “I purposely left out Loh’s parliamentary query because I want the police to do their job. They need to do their own investigation.
‘Give CCTV recording to family’
“Also, I have asked for the police to give a copy of the CCTV recording to the deceased’s [N Dhamendran] family. Dhamendran, 32, died while in police custody at the Kuala Lumpur (KL) police contingent headquarters lock-up. The case was classified as murder after a post-mortem showed he had died due to injuries caused by blunt trauma.
“They should have a recording of it. He died at the KL police headquarters. If the KL police headquarters does not have CCTVs, what about police stations at remote and rural areas, then?” queried Lim.
Lim added that he expects a status report from the police with regard to the issue. I expect them to give me follow-ups on the case. If they fail to do so, I will raise the matter in parliament when it convenes in June 25. So they have close to a month to provide me with a status report,” he said.
Related news: DAP lodges report against duo over CCTV in lock-ups http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/231695

Ulala!


Thursday, May 30, 2013

Residents want vacant land cleared to get rid of snakes

A resident showing Lim (fourth from left) a large hole in a compound while other residents shared their experiences with him.
RESIDENTS of Taman Segambut Damai, Segambut want the authorities to clear a vacant plot of land near their houses where snakes have been spotted.
The most recent incident involved a man who was bitten by a snake that slithered into his bed. Neighbours said the snake had probably got into the second-storey bedroom by slithering up a tree.
A neighbour, K. Kanapathy, 51, said this was merely one of the incidents in the neighbourhood involving the reptiles. “Some of the residents have seen the snakes, including pythons and cobras,” he said.
S. Perumal, 57, said a long black snake had entered her porch last month. “I was scared but quickly closed my door and called the Fire and Rescue Department. “They came within 15 minutes and caught it,” said Perumal, adding that prior to this, she had seen smaller snakes in her house compound. Perumal also said the snakes usually appeared after heavy rain.
Another resident, Yap Pik Yuan, 58, said she once saw a snake that was green and yellow in colour. She estimated it at over 10 feet long. “Every time we see one, we call the Fire and Rescue Department. Sometimes they manage to catch the snakes,” said Yap, adding that the snakes only started appearing in recent years.
The residents said they had complained about the problem to Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng, who visited the site yesterday.
“This is public land so I will ask Alam Flora and Kuala Lumpur City Hall to clear the land and level the plot. This may help get rid of the snakes,” he said. The land is located on higher ground next to Jalan 3/60B and is covered with undergrowth as well as rubbish.