PM Najib should give immediate unconditional 3 guarantees. I expect he will do so. This is because the govt simply cannot afford to be seen covering up the true circumstances of TBH’s death. Especially after the public already know about Pornthip’s 80% homicide stand. To carry on the Inquest with only Peter Vanezis and without Pornthip’s testimony to balance will only make the Inquest a farce! It will defeat the whole first objective of the Inquest – which is to give appearance that govt is not covering up and willing to launch an independent investigation. Any application of pressure via informal channels to stop her from testifying will be effective only if Pornthip relents to such pressure in the quiet but loses efficacy once she disclosed it to the media, as she did.

The guarantee/assurance from M’ysian Govt should be unequivocal – and unconditional. From news report our AG Gani Patail has given it; even MACC is on record urging her to attend. Of course PM’s guarantee will even be better and is now sought against the background of Hisham Hishammuddin’s “waffling” assurance (in Kit’s words). Though HH reiterates the government’s stand that it will guarantee Pornthip’s safety however his assurance is widely perceived in context to be subject to some kind of pre-condition that Pornthip first discloses who has been conveying threats to her. HH is probably unhappy that Pornthip’s mention of problems with immigration implicates his Ministry responsible for Immigration and he wants his pound of flesh that specifics be disclosed failing which he could get benefit of inference that Pornthip’s allegations are untrue.

Its hard to say that HH’s approach of setting such a precondition is reasonable. For one thing, who of Pornthip’s reputation in forensics will fabricate a lie of pressure being applied against her continuing her testimony when that is not true? If she didn’t want to help in TBH’s case she wouldn’t have come in the first place, let alone say its 80% homicide in public contradiction of our local forensic’s testimony. Besides her pride in her work and ease in working on her “dead” patients is well known and documented.

She already said that pressure from informal channels on Malaysian side was disclosed to her by Thai Foreign and Justice Ministries’ officials. To expect her to disclose “specifics” she will have to identify and implicate her own government officials who will then be exposed to a potential exchange of charges and counter charges vis-a-vis their Malaysian official counterparts, certain to deny their alleged attempt at interference, which tantamounts to a contempt of court. Working as a Director of the Central Institute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Justice, Pornthip is a civil servant. To impose and ask her to satisfy the pre-condition set by HH will pitch her against her bosses’ interest, which she is not expected to do, and is as good as indirectly telling her not to come! HH is entitled to ask her for details of interference as he has an interest in image of his Home Ministry having charge of Immigration but he ought not to set her disclosure of these details as a condition precedent for his Ministry’s assurance of Pornthip’s safety and safe passage in relation to testifying at the Inquest or conducting her work in Kelantan! Otherwise it will be seen as if HH does not welcome her to testify and indirectly manoeuvering her not to do so by a condition precedent deemed unreasonable in context of circumstances of her civil servant’s position above discussed. If HH does not recant his pre-condition, it appears that Najib will have to satisfy public concerns by immediately issuing the unconditional guarantees.