The Malaysian Insider
Oct 04, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 — Riot police broke their own standard operating procedures (SOP) by firing tear gas when dispersing Bersih 2.0 rally marchers at the Tung Shin Hospital on July 9, a Health Ministry investigation has concluded.
Home Ministry secretary-general Tan Sri Mahmood Adam said tonight that errant policemen would be referred to the police’s disciplinary board.
“The investigation results concluded that there were unethical actions which were beyond the SOP of the Royal Malaysian Police when enforcement was performed on rally participants who were wrongly using the hospital premises,” Mahmood said in a statement.
Putrajaya and police had earlier denied any wrongdoing despite proof given by Bersih and those at the rally.
The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) is now waiting for police to answer questions into the incident after a complaint from Bersih, which held the rally to call for free and fair elections.
Police had absolved themselves of any wrongdoing during the July 9 rally after setting up six internal teams to investigate claims of police brutality that followed after nearly 1,700 were arrested, scores injured and an ex-soldier died during chaotic scenes in the capital.
But Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai ordered a second probe into the Tung Shin incident on July 14 after a group of medical consultants had written to the media refuting the hospital board and police who claimed that no gas canisters or water cannons were fired into the hospital.
The DAP then accused the authorities of sweeping the incident under the rug as its eye-witnesses were told by the Health Ministry in August to join “the police in building an investigation report that will be held soon.”
Police finally admitted on July 21 that Tung Shin was hit with tear gas canisters and water cannons during the rally, but denied shooting directly into the compound.
But this claim flies in the face of various video clips uploaded on the YouTube video-sharing site showing water cannons and tear gas being fired into the hospital.
#1 by sheriff singh on Wednesday, 5 October 2011 - 12:11 am
IGP should take the blame, do the honourable thing and resign.
But this will never happen in 1Malaysia. Not until this happens:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xtn1nqA29AQ/SxO6_6GlqTI/AAAAAAAAAE8/vLM2QCoxGKU/s1600/pig+fly.jpg
#2 by Jeffrey on Wednesday, 5 October 2011 - 12:33 am
///Home Ministry secretary-general Tan Sri Mahmood Adam said tonight that errant policemen would be referred to the police’s disciplinary board///
This is great: Home Ministry takes action against errant police for shooting tear gas canisters into Tung Shin based on Health Ministry’s ‘high powered’ investigation findings of police wrong doings during Bersih rally that raises another question – How do the Heath Ministry’s findings impact on the credibility of people under its jurisdiction like its own Minister Liow Tiong Lai & Tung Shin hospital board of directors chairman Ng Beh Tong who readily denied in public any gas canister was fired into the hospital’s compound (without proper enquiry)??? These two were reported by the Star July 12th 2011 to have said that “Tung Shin Hospital was untouched by any tear gas canister nor did it come into direct contact with water cannon spray”. The Home Ministry had conducted its own investigation because it is responsible for the well-being of Malaysian hospitals. How is well-being of Malaysian hospitals served when the responsible Minister and the head of Hospital so readily deny the undeniable, defend the indefensible –in public- so quickly without making careful enquiry? What can the Health Ministry do about this?
#3 by boh-liao on Wednesday, 5 October 2011 - 1:09 am
Many liars hv blood on their hands
“Here’s the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. Oh, Oh, Oh!”
Here, no integrity n honor, how 2 expect ministers n IGP 2 RESIGN; NEVER
#4 by Jeffrey on Wednesday, 5 October 2011 - 3:03 am
What is disconcerting is the spontaneous attempt to deny and cover up an unfortunate incident that constitutes a Public Relations disaster for the Administration – without any bother to ascertain the truth and in spite of risk of being contradicted (in Tungshin Hospital’s case) by countless no. of eye witnesses testifying otherwise. Owning up is the last resort when there’s just no other options, as when a probe was called by Health Ministry in the face of a group of senior medical officers issuing a rebuttal statement to what the Health Minister & TungShin Hospital’s head said to the press. How many other cases are there in other areas such as custodial death whether either probe was not called or some probe called to end in suicide verdict?
#5 by Jeffrey on Wednesday, 5 October 2011 - 3:08 am
In short there is regrettably an entrenched culture of cover up, subordinates are encouraged to remain silent or cover up any alleged impropriety wrong doing and sometimes even criminal actions as long as these constitute a potential or acutal public relation/image disaster of material and adverse political implications for the administration or the political organisation or main political figures. That’s what it is here. Sure it happens everywhere – in other countries, even developed democracies (remember Nixon’s Watergate or Bill Clinton’s denial of improprieties wit intern Monica Lewinski) and bureaucracies, having regard to human nature, but this is neither excusing or comforting that it is so frequent here where subordinates, even professionals, are either coerced at risk of the career or instinctively conspire or advancement of it, to help cover up any ugly incident from public glare. There is no widespread culture of honesty and willingness to stand up for the truth.
#6 by Jeffrey on Wednesday, 5 October 2011 - 3:24 am
Ooops – “instinctively conspire FOR advancement of it…”
Though human propensity to cover up an embarrassing incident in protection of power and powerful individuals is universal, the saving grace in more matured democracies is an independent press where there are more journalists who as a point of professional pride and even career advancement (Pultizer award) would probe endlessly a newsworthy incident and in name of Public Right to Know and journalistic ethics and independence ferret out and report the truth instead of helping to cover up and in other cases even fabricate lies and skew reporting for te protection and preservation of the interests of the Powers-that-be. One small step in right direction is repeal of the Printing Presses and Publications Act.
#7 by monsterball on Wednesday, 5 October 2011 - 3:44 am
It is always the same.
First they deny and accuse oppositions and trouble makers.
Worst of the lot is the back door MCA Health Minister…uttering all rubbish without checking things first.
It take so long to come to this conclusion….because the longer they keep hiding the truths…more votes are lost.
#8 by waterfrontcoolie on Wednesday, 5 October 2011 - 5:55 am
What can one expect from a born Liar? Given the opportunity to appear that he would always give his best to tripod the Bosses; especially the free Alphart file is being marked as KIV. Stay the tune or else? Such are the kind of leaders that are being pushed to the society whose members are expected to glorify. BN forgets that the more such cowheads are forced upon the Community, the more the Community will reject them! With all these exposures, MCA still think they can hoodwink those they claimed to represent! Please call for the GE now! And let see the result!
#9 by drngsc on Wednesday, 5 October 2011 - 8:03 am
It is true that the Police on 9th July, at the BERSIH 2.0 rally, fired tear gas and water cannon into the Tung Shin Hospital compound, but not into the hospital building itself. It is also true that the Police chase the demonstrators into the Tung Shin Hospital building to beat them up and then arrest them
Bolehland is now trying hard to cover up and catch the lowest rank cop and make him pubicly responsible and privately nothing happens.
We need to change the tenant at Putrajaya. GE 13 is our best chance. Failure is not an option. Please let us all work very very hard from now to GE 13.
#10 by Godfather on Wednesday, 5 October 2011 - 8:22 am
Liow Tiong Lai and the Board of Tung Shing must resign – but will they ?
#11 by dagen on Wednesday, 5 October 2011 - 8:41 am
Caught with hand in cookie jar, so to speak, and still claiming innocence. Now that is umno. You see, RM20b wasted yearly through umno’s countless official corrupt channels is not corruption because, well I might as well say it for them, it is a right – a special privilege. Umno might as well claim that the tear gas and water cannon were shot into the hospital grounds in exercise of umno’s ketuanan right. But hey liow is no umnoputra. Indeed so. In fact he is a mere stooge of umno.
#12 by k1980 on Wednesday, 5 October 2011 - 9:50 am
Thestar (page 4) is bodek-ing Soiled Leg Chua by comparing him to America’s Franklin Roosevelt, who was the only president to be elected to serve 3 terms (died in 1945 just before Japan surrendered)
#13 by k1980 on Wednesday, 5 October 2011 - 9:53 am
If Soiled Leg Chua can be compared to America’s Franklin Roosevelt, then jibby the Hutt can be compared to Genghiz Khan ( who conquered the biggest empire in history). So now you can see why Altantoo was kabooomed.
#14 by boh-liao on Wednesday, 5 October 2011 - 10:23 am
We know our ministers r pathological liars/cowards n CANNOT b trusted; they will twist n cover up facts, n force other gutless individuals (like d Tung Shing Board & polis, in dis case) 2 lie as well 2 back them up
In dis case, despite all d witnesses, our ministers blatantly lied n twisted facts; they would hv persisted with their lies n brainwashed rakyat 2 accept their lies (afterall they control d msm), just like what MMK did 4 many years b4 d era of d Internet n social media
Well, luckily, we hv a group of brave medical consultants who refuted d hospital board n polis who claimed that no gas canisters or water cannons were fired into d hospital
We hv d Internet, social media, alternatif news providers, brave NGOs n patriotic individuals who refused 2 b cowed
D ministers n gomen finally realised dat they cannot hide d truth, n r forced 2 make a U turn; there r still lots of facts 2 b unearthed n made public, RAKYAT, JIA YU!
#15 by Bigjoe on Wednesday, 5 October 2011 - 10:36 am
Here is uncomfortable truth: BN is going to take a hit on this BUT its MCA that will take the brunt of this. This report could not be more ill-timed. It looks like CSL influence with police does not extend to the Home Ministry.
Truth is most Chinese feels defenseless against rogue police or elements of UMNO/BN. They expect the MCA to keep a check on rogue side of UMNO/BN. Its a fundamental expectation of their role. The failure of MCA to play this role to the Chinese is a fundamental failure of MCA and leaves them feeling HIGHLY INSECURE – equivalent to letting the wild horde through the gates.
The report coming after the MCA AGM is basically trashes the entire AGM itself which was a failure by real measure anyway. If MCA does badly in the GE, the entire leadership will be wiped out.
#16 by yhsiew on Wednesday, 5 October 2011 - 10:46 am
The police action was a far cry from democratic policing.
#17 by dagen on Wednesday, 5 October 2011 - 2:13 pm
Dear perkasa, I hv a wonderful and exciting reason for you people to orgy yet again in public. Strangely no one seems to hv picked it up. Let me tell you now that once in a lifetime reason to orgy. Start your show when I say “GO!”
Now ready, aaaannnd listen to this:
The theme song for Namewee’s Nasi Lemak 2.0 film was derived from that famous “Rasa Sayang” song. And that is anti-agung, anti-islam jenis umno, anti-umno, unpatriotic, communist, terrorist, ungrateful etc etc.
Now. Go. Orgy!
#18 by ktteokt on Wednesday, 5 October 2011 - 2:46 pm
Just resign IGP! Health Minister should also RESIGN!
#19 by best4rakyat on Wednesday, 5 October 2011 - 7:07 pm
Malaysian could be very well-versed with ‘wayang kulit’ put up.
Suddenly have and suddenly no is a common features we have always seen and learned.
Even now we learn to become better after seeing nasilemak2.0 where who is still denying all malaysian can live join hands to see positive things and cultures.
So do not cheat and twist la….wa lao eh!
#20 by negarawan on Sunday, 9 October 2011 - 12:46 am
City police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Mohamad Salleh said the officer would be dealt with for unethical conduct or breach of the Standard Operating Procedure.
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I think that’s not the point. It’s the person that gave the orders that should be prosecuted! It’s none other than Najip and Hisapmuddin!