Thesun 2009-07-23 Page01 Two Inquiries On Teoh

œ Member of Audit Bureau of Circulations (Malaysia)

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Rare sight ... residents on the peak of Malu Mountain in Guangzi, China, watch as the eclipse starts its flight.

Two inquiries on Teoh » ROYAL PANEL ON MACC’S INVESTIGATION METHODS » MAGISTRATE’S INQUEST INTO CAUSE OF HIS DEATH

by Husna Yusop [email protected]

UTRAJAYA: A royal commission of inquiry will examine the methods used by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to question suspects and witnesses to determine if human rights were violated in the case of Teoh Beng Hock. A separate inquest headed by a magistrate will determine the cause of political aide Teoh’s death last Thursday, the cabinet decided at its weekly meeting yesterday. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak said the inquiry will not be confined to just MACC’s probe of Teoh, but also its investigation practices. “A royal commission will be set up with specific terms to scrutinise and look into the interrogation methods used by the MACC to see whether there were any elements of human rights violation during Teoh’s interrogation. “This is to ensure similar cases would not happen in future,” he said (more reports page 2). The death of Teoh, 30, the political aide to Selangor New Village Development and Illegal Factory Task Force Committee chairman Ean-Yong Hian Wah, raised a public outcry. His body was discovered on

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a fifth floor landing of Plaza Masalam. He is believed to have fallen from the 14th floor where the state MACC office is located. Teoh, who was to register his marriage last Friday, was questioned for close to 11 hours as a witness over alleged misuse of funds by Pakatan Rakyat exco members. Expressing condolences to Teoh’s family, Najib said the cabinet discussion took note of everyone’s views and has declared to seek out the truth. He said although the public have called for a royal commission to investigate Teoh’s death, the Criminal Procedure Code provides for an inquest. The prime minister, who returned on Tuesday from Saudi Arabia, also announced that: The findings of the police investigation will be made public. The police could wrap up investigations in a few days. He will inform Teoh’s family the outcome of the investigation once he has obtained certain findings. He urged all parties to be patient and refrain from making statements which can create wrong perceptions or which can confuse the public. “To find out the truth in this case, we should not mix it with political interests or elements. The process of investigation will be forthright and transparent. We regard every hu-

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man life to be sacrosanct,” he said. The magistrate will decide on the time-frame for the inquest. The MACC’s investigation into alleged misappropriation of allocations by some Selangor assemblymen will continue. The MACC officers who questioned Teoh “have not been suspended but the lead investigator has been reassigned to the headquarters”. On another matter, Najib said no decision was taken yesterday about raising the electricity tariff. “We have to look deeper into this. The price of gas has gone up and the amount of subsidy that Petronas has to fork out is in the region of RM6.4 billion a year,” he said. The Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry said in a statement yesterday the present electricity tariffs stay until year-end. Najib said as a result of his visit to Saudi Arabia, he has suggested that Maxis be relisted on Bursa Malaysia to add more liquidity to the market and create enthusiasm among investors about Malaysia’s capital market. “They (would) have a large portfolio to invest in a company that is well managed. So hopefully, it would happen fairly soon,” he said, adding that Maxis has been informed and is considering it seriously.

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Century’s longest solar eclipse darkens Asia A TOTAL solar eclipse yesterday swept across a narrow swathe of Asia, where hundreds of millions of people watched the skies darken, though in some places thick summer clouds blocked the sun. The longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century cut through the world’s most populous nations, India and China, as it travelled half the globe. It was visible along a 250km-wide corridor, space agency Nasa said. In India, where eclipse superstitions are rife, people snaked through the narrow lanes of the holy city of Varanasi and gathered for a dip in the Ganges, an act believed to bring release from the cycle of life and death. Amid chanting of hymns, thousands of men, women and children waded into the river with folded hands and prayed to the sun as it emerged in an overcast sky. “We have come here because our

elders told us this is the best time to improve our afterlife,” said Bhailal Sharma, a villager from central India travelling in a group of about 100. But for one 80-year-old woman the trip was fatal. Police said she died from suffocation in the crowd. The eclipse next swept through Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and over the crowded cities along China’s Yangtze River, before heading to the Pacific. In Hindu-majority Nepal, the government declared a public holiday and thousands headed for water. In central China crowds gathered along the high dykes of Wuhan, roaring and waving goodbye as the last sliver of sun disappeared, plunging the city into darkness. The eclipse lasted up to a maximum of 6 minutes, 39 seconds over the Pacific Ocean. It is the longest eclipse of this century and will not be surpassed until June 13, 2132. – Reuters