PUTRAJAYA: The family of a man shot dead by a policeman 12 years ago has demanded that Attorney-General Terrirudin Salleh charge the perpetrator with homicide.
This morning, the family – represented by Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram), Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) and Citizens Against Enforced Disappearances (CAGED) – submitted a memorandum to the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) here to demand appropriate action against corporal Cheah Yew Teik, now retired.
Suaram coordinator Wong Yan Ke said the memorandum today was submitted after a High Court decision in January ruled the incident a homicide, overturning the coroner’s open verdict from a year before.
“On March 1, the family’s lawyer – Valen, Oh, and Partners – sent a letter to the AGC, followed by another letter on April 18, but has yet to receive a response.
“We want the AGC to take the necessary action and charge the perpetrator with murder,” he told the media.
The victim, P Kathir Oli, 31, was fatally shot by Cheah outside a pub in Ipoh, Perak, on Sept 15, 2011.
Previously, media reported then Perak police chief Shukri Dahlan as saying that Cheah had acted in self-defence because the victim and his friends, armed with a parang, had allegedly attempted to rob the pub owner.
However, PSM said according to the testimony from the police, no parang was found at the scene.
According to the memorandum, Kathir and Cheah were involved in a scuffle in a carpark near the pub after Kathir and his friends were denied entry.
When initially confronted by Cheah, Kathir allegedly asked who he was and why Cheah was pointing a gun at him.
The two men then reportedly got into a scuffle and Kathir was shot in the chest and killed instantly.
Following the incident, the family campaigned for an inquest which took place in 2019.
The memorandum also said that Cheah was off-duty at the time of the incident and asked why he was carrying a gun.
It likewise asked why Cheah had not shouted a warning before firing his weapon, adding that using a firearm in this context was unwarranted, unreasonable and unjustifiable.
Kathir’s brother P Anbughani, who was at the event today, said he and his family were waiting for action to be taken against Cheah.
“On the day of the incident, they (the police) claimed that my brother robbed the premises, but now that the court’s verdict is out, there has still been no action taken against Cheah,” he said.
Meanwhile, CAGED spokesman Rama Ramanathan said the AGC had to pay attention to ordinary people on the street who become victims of the police, not only focus on high-profile cases.
