A PRESSURE group demanding justice for political aide Teoh Beng Hock will start its three-day “walk for justice” this morning at Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam. 

They plan to finish their walk at parliament in Kuala Lumpur on Monday where they intend to submit a memorandum to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

The chairman of the Teoh Beng Hock Association for Democratic Advancement, Ng Yap Hwa, urged Malaysians to sign up for the three-day walk for justice and support their demands for truth and justice following the death of Teoh 15 years ago, and for institutional reform.

Ng said they have notified police at all districts their walk will pass – Shah Alam, Subang Jaya, Brickfields and Dang Wangi.

 “So far, Shah Alam, Subang Jaya and Brickfields police districts have responded, acknowledged the receipt of our notification (diambil maklum) and said they would assist in directing traffic,” he said.

He added that police told them not to touch on socially sensitive issues or incite ethnic hatred.

“We emphasise that the purpose of the ‘walk for justice’ is to seek justice for Teoh Beng Hock. We welcome the police to assist in directing the traffic,” he said.

The group will also submit a letter to the Selangor menteri besar at 9.30am today at the Selangor secretariat building in Shah Alam, to remind the Selangor government about Teoh’s case.

He added that Teoh, being a former employee of the Selangor government who saved democracy in the state, has yet to see justice done.

The walk will also stop at the Selangor Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters, Bukit Aman and the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

“We hope that Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain will personally receive our memorandum on July 15, listen to the Teoh family’s voice that they have not been able to realise justice for Teoh Beng Hock for 15 years, and solve the problem that the police have been unable to find out the truth after six years of investigation,” said Ng.

The walk is organised over unresolved matters surrounding the political aide’s death and aims to demand justice from the unity government.

Interested Malaysians can contact 0111-0664526 if they want to participate in the walk.

The group’s demands include amending Section 30 of the MACC Act to limit interrogation time as well as enacting an anti-torture law.

The group also demanded that authorities investigate and prosecute the case accordingly, as it was supposed to have been reopened in 2018.

In June 2018, the cabinet granted approval for investigations into Teoh’s death to be reopened. However, four months later, police said they had not received any instructions from the AGC to do so.

Apart from the “walk for justice”, the group is also holding a public memorial service for custodial death victims at the riverside of the Bar Council on July 16 at 6pm, which is also the 15th anniversary of Teoh’s death.

A memorial service for Teoh will be held on the same day at 8pm at the Kuala Lumpur Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall.

On May 5, the group launched a campaign called the “Search for Missing Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim” in Kuala Kubu Baharu following multiple failed attempts by the Teoh family to meet Anwar in the 17 months since he took office.

Last December, the association also submitted a protest letter to the Prime Minister’s Office expressing dissatisfaction that no one had been held responsible for Teoh’s death.

In 2009, Teoh, who was then an aide to then Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead on the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam, hours after he had arrived for questioning on the 14th floor of the Selangor MACC headquarters.

A coroner’s inquest in 2011 delivered an open verdict. 

His family subsequently filed an appeal against the findings. Three years later, the Court of Appeal set aside the open verdict and ruled that Teoh’s death was caused by multiple injuries as a result of unlawful acts by unknown persons. – July 13, 2024.