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Malaysia to probe into Chinese woman abuse
(Straits Times/AFP)
Updated: 2005-11-29 11:44
The video clip of a naked Chinese woman doing squats in front of a
policewoman in what appears to be a lock-up is being described as Malaysia's own
Abu Ghraib prison scandal.
A combination of
video grabs from a mobile phone video clip shows a young Chinese woman
after she was stripped at a police station in Malaysia.
[Reuters] |
Pledging a thorough probe into
what is being described as a "shameful" incident, Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi
yesterday told journalists in Malta where he is attending the Commonwealth
leaders summit: "There should be no cover-up at all."
Directing deputy police chief Musa Hassan to conduct a probe, he warned: "I
don't want anybody to hide the bare facts obtained from the investigations."
Datuk Musa said: "If investigations reveal our officers or policemen have
abused their power, we will take action."
Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said the video, if proven to involve
the police, is a "slap" on the image and integrity of the police and the
country.
Amid public outrage over the issue, he said stern action must be taken
against those responsible.
The video clip has been posted on Malaysian websites and bloggers have
compared it to pictures of torture of Iraqi prisoners by American prison guards
in the Abu Ghraib prison.
Bar Council chairman Yeo Yang Poh yesterday demanded an independent
investigation, saying: "All Malaysians should view the video clip and ask
ourselves how we have allowed things to come to this stage."
The council represents all Malaysian lawyers.
A key public concern is that the case may not be isolated.
Many reports have been filed in the past about mistreatment of suspects in
police custody.
A VCD containing the 70-second clip was dropped at the office of opposition
parliamentarian Teresa Kok who showed the clip to several ministers at
Parliament House on Thursday.
Although it is not clear if the woman in the video is a Chinese citizen, the
issue came to light just days after a complaint by three female Chinese
nationals.
The women alleged they were strip-searched by police for holding fake
passports although they showed genuine documents. They also claimed that male
officers peeped at them while they were bathing during their detention.
The issue comes at a sensitive time for Malaysia as it
prepares to host the inaugural East Asian Summit in two weeks. Chinese Premier
Wen Jiabao will be attending the gathering.
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