This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses.

In November 2005, a prisoner abuse scandal arose in Malaysia. Initially, two Chinese female citizens complained about being stripped, having their breasts groped, and being forced to do ear squats. Member of Parliament (MP) Teresa Kok of the Democratic Action Party accompanied one of them to lodge a police report. Later that month, Kok was given a video compact disc (VCD) by an anonymous whistle-blower that contained a video depicting a female police officer watching a female detainee do ear squats in the nude. Kok later displayed the video in Parliament to the shock of other MPs. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Ongoing events • 23rd Southeast Asian Games • Abramoff-Reed gambling scandal • Al Jazeera bombing memo • Avian influenza (H5N1) outbreak • Black sites scandal • Conservative leadership race (UK) • Fuel prices • Irans nuclear program • Jilin chemical plant explosions • Kashmir earthquake • Malawi food crisis • Malaysian prisoner abuse scandal • New Delhi bombings investigation • Niger food... 2005 (MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Human female breasts The term breast, also known by the Latin mamma in anatomy, refers to the upper ventral region of an animals torso, particularly that of mammals, including human beings. ... Groping is touching another person in an aggressively sexual way. ... The Parliament of Malaysia consists of the lower house (Dewan Rakyat or literally Peoples Hall, in Malay) and upper house (Dewan Negara or Nations Hall in Malay). ... Teresa Kok Suh Sim (Chinese: 郭素沁) born 31 March 1964) is a Malaysian politician and a member of the Democratic Action Party (DAP). ... Democratic Action Party (DAP) logo The Democratic Action Party (DAP, Parti Tindakan Demokratik in Malay) is Malaysias largest secular opposition party. ... Video CD or VCD, or Compact Disc digital video, is a standard digital format for storing video on a Compact Disc. ... The word nude may refer to: The state of nudity. ...

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi insisted that there would be no cover-up, and his deputy, Najib Tun Razak, said the same. Initially the federal Deputy Inspector General, Musa Hassan, made remarks to a similar effect, but also defended the ear squats as "standard procedure". He later stated, "It is the perpetrator behind the video clip whom we are after and not the policewoman, who was carrying out a routine check." His comments led the leaders of all three opposition parties and an MP from the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition to call for Musa's resignation or dismissal. Deputy Internal Security Minister Noh Omar also stirred up controversy when he told foreigners upset about the scandal to "go home". He later made what one witness described as a "grudging" apology, and clarified his comments. An independent commission was later set up under Abdullah's orders to investigate the scandal. The Prime Minister of Malaysia is the elected head of government of Malaysia. ... Yang Amat Berhormat Dato Seri Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi (born November 26, 1939) is the current prime minister of Malaysia, succeeding Tun Mahathir bin Mohamad. ... Najib Bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak (born July 23, 1953 in Kuala Lipis, Pahang) is the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia since January 7, 2004. ... Barisan Nasional (National Front or BN) is a political coalition in Malaysia. ...

First accusations

The first indications of abuse came in early November, when a Chinese housewife went public with the story of her alleged abuse. According to her, she had been travelling in a car with another Chinese national on November 3 when they were detained at a police roadblock because their passports were allegedly invalid. The policeman then demanded a RM500 bribe from them. The housewife later said, "Since both of us were carrying valid passports, we refused to give the policeman anything. We were then taken to the police station." She claimed that at the police station, a policewoman took RM50 from her purse and divided it among four police officers. A stereotypical housewife A homemaker is a person whose prime occupation is to care for their family and home. ... November 3 is the 307th day of the year (308th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 58 days remaining. ... The title page of European Union passports bears the name European Union, then the name of the issuing country, in the official languages of all EU countries. ... The ringgit (unofficially known as the Malaysian dollar), is the official monetary unit of Malaysia. ... Bribery is the practice of offering a professional money or other favours in order to circumvent ethics in a variety of professions. ... This article is about the terms most basic meaning; a purse is also a race track term. ...

Then during a body search there, she was instructed to strip and that "A policewoman grabbed my breast and slapped me when I blushed. I was then forced to take off my undergarments and do five ear squats." She also alleged that a policeman peeped into the room through an open door, at that the door was only shut tight when she screamed.

When her husband later arrived with their marriage certificate, the police officer at the station refused to accept it as genuine. The women were released four days later after the Immigration Department confirmed their passports were real. The woman lodged a complaint with the police the next day, but insisted on anonymity. For humans, anonymity (from the greek ανώνυμος (αν-ώνυμος, without-name or name-less) is the state of ones personal identity or personally identifiable information being hidden or unknown. ...

In another unrelated case, a remisier with a wife from China was asked for a bribe by a police officer so that the process of confirming her passport could be sped up. A remisier is an agent of a stockbroking company and receives a commission for each transaction handled (as compared with a paid dealer’s representative, who is a direct employee of a stockbroking company and whose remuneration structure is based on a fixed monthly salary). ...

Abuse video

On November 25, the existence of the video recording of a female detainee, apparently of Chinese ethnicity, being forced to do ear squats in the nude was made public. In the background, chanting of verses from the Quran could be heard, and as the woman turned to face the camera, one of her nipples was visible. The poor quality of the clip indicated it had been recorded by a mobile phone. Well-known Malaysian blogger Jeff Ooi immediately compared the scandal to the Abu Ghraib scandal in Iraq where United States military personnel forced prisoners to strip and abused them. November 25 is the 329th (in leap years the 330th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Quran (Arabic al-qurʾān أَلْقُرآن; also transliterated as Quran, Koran, and less commonly Alcoran) is the holy book of Islam. ... Nipple is, generally, the name given to the mammalian nipple. ... Blogger is a service created by Pyra Labs that provides Web-based tools used by individuals to publish to the Web. ... Jeff Ooi writes one of the longest running blogs in Malaysia. ... ...

The video clip was distributed among the public in the form of a Multimedia Messaging System (MMS) clip. Initially some thought the clip to have been faked in an attempt to shame the police force, but the clip was later confirmed to have been filmed at the police headquarters in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. The Malay officer, identified as a constable, was identified and had her version of the events recorded by the police. However, her identity was not made public. As of November 28, 2005, the identity of the detainee in the clip has not been made public. Multimedia Messaging System (MMS) is a system of transmitting not only text messages, but also various kinds of multimedia contents (e. ... Petaling Jaya at Night Petaling Jaya is a satellite town of the federal territory Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and is located in the Petaling district. ... State motto: no State motto Capital Shah Alam Royal Capital Klang Sultan Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Chief Minister Mohd Khir bin Toyo Area 7,956 km2 Population  - Estimated 4,100,000 State anthem Duli Yang Maha Mulia Selangor (Jawi: سلنجور, population 4. ... Malays (Dutch, Malayo, ultimately from Malay: Melayu) are a diverse group of people living in the Malay archipelago and Malay peninsula in South East Asia. ... A Constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly that of law-enforcement. ... November 28 is the 332nd day (333rd on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Response

After the first reports of abuse broke, the Prime Minister ordered Home Minister Azmi Khalid to travel to China to improve Malaysia's image there. Reportedly, the number of Chinese tourists had been dropping over the past few months, and it was feared the abuse scandal would further exacerbate the situation. A tourist boat travels the River Seine in Paris, France Tourism can be defined as the act of travel for the purpose of recreation, and the provision of services for this act. ...

When the video clip broke, the Prime Minister immediately insisted that "There should be no cover-up at all," while his Deputy stated "It should not have happened." Azmi also declared, "If police personnel are really involved, then this is police abuse." Lim Keng Yaik, a Minister and the leader of the Gerakan party, called for the establishment of a Police Complaint and Misconduct Commission. Abdullah later announced an independent body would be set up to investigate the scandal. Yang Berbahagia Dato Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik (Chinese : 林敬益) is the National President of Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia since 1980. ... The Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (Malaysian Peoples Movement Party in English) formed on 24th March 1968, is a liberal party in Malaysia. ...

Defense of the police

Deputy Inspector General of the Police (IGP) Musa Hassan also initially promised that the perpetrators would be punished, but later stated "It is the perpetrator behind the video clip whom we are after and not the policewoman, who was carrying out a routine check," and that whoever filmed it would be charged under the Penal Code with insulting the woman's modesty, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in jail. Musa also stated that such actions are standard fare and are used to examine body cavities for possible contraband. The police began their investigation by quizzing staff of the China Press, which had also independently obtained footage of the incident. They also attempted to determine the identity of the detainee by blowing up some stills from the video and having them distributed to prisons and immigration detention centres. Azmi promised that the woman would be protected if she came forth to provide evidence, whatever her legal status. China Press (Chinese : 中國報) is a Malaysian Chinese newspaper first published in 1 February 1946 and was setup by Tun Henry Lee Hau Shik. ...

The New Sunday Times confirmed Musa's claim that strip searches were standard police procedure carried out after being arrested. The squats were used to dislodge objects possibly concealed in body orifices, and in some cases, detainees were hosed with strong jets of water to dislodge material hidden in their hair. The New Sunday Times also reported that only officers of the same sex as the detainee were permitted to examine him or her and that officers of the opposite sex would not be allowed in the room where the examination was going on. However, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak had earlier denied that strip searches were part of standard police procedure and that "There is no reason to embarrass and humiliate people in that manner." The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was told by doctors that performing ear squats was an inefficient means of examination and could not dislodge anything hidden in the vagina or rectum. The leaders of three opposition parties — the DAP, PAS and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) — immediately called for Musa's dismissal. The New Straits Times is a Malaysian English language newspaper. ... This article is an overview article about the Crown chartered British Broadcasting Corporation formed in 1927. ... Complete external female genital anatomy Human female internal reproductive anatomy. ... The posterior aspect of the rectum exposed by removing the lower part of the sacrum and the coccyx. ... The Islamic Party of Malaysia (commonly known as PAS or Pas, from the Malay Parti Islam SeMalaysia) is an Islamist political party in Malaysia and is currently headed by Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang. ... This article is about the Peoples Justice Party of Malaysia. ...

The next day, the weekday edition of the newspaper, the New Straits Times, reported that although such procedures were permitted by the standard operating procedures of the police, the Lock-up Rules 1953 did not permit a body cavity search nor ear squats for any purpose. This would thereby make it illegal for the police to employ such procedures after making an arrest.

Controversial comment by Cabinet member

The same day, Deputy Internal Security Minister Noh Omar told the press "I dare say everything was done following the rules. ... If the law does not provide for it, ask the lawyers to sue the Government and summon the police." He promised to elaborate at Parliament the following day, but as Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat Ramli Ngah Taib did not permit discussion of the incident, he was unable to. However, he did tell the press "If the orang asing (foreigners) think we are zalim (cruel), ask them to go back to their own country." Most media outlets, many of which are owned by political parties in the governing Barisan Nasional coalition, did not report these comments after being reportedly told not to by the Prime Minister's office, but the comments received coverage in the evening edition of some local newspapers and many foreign ones. The Parliament of Malaysia consists of the lower house (Dewan Rakyat or literally Peoples Hall, in Malay) and upper house (Dewan Negara or Nations Hall in Malay). ... Barisan Nasional (National Front or BN) is a political coalition in Malaysia. ...

The Chinese embassy requested Malaysia probe the assault cases further. Later, Noh made what the BBC described as a "grudging" apology; he stated "What I meant was Malaysia is a safe country. If foreigners think our police are cruel and the country is not safe, then they would have gone back home long time ago. I did not tell them to go back." The BBC also construed his comments as "a direct challenge" to the Prime Minister. Reportedly, Abdullah reprimanded Noh, who at first denied he had told anyone to "go back".

Other organisations

The Parliamentary Human Rights Caucus, led by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Aziz, also condemned the abuse of the prisoner, with Nazri saying he was "disgusted" by the incident. Human rights non-governmental organisations (NGOs) expressed concern about the reported incidents of abuse but noted that such incidents were not uncommon. One spokesperson for Suaram said "One of the most common-place police abuses is to harass women by getting them to undress. This isn't something totally strange or alien that people can't associate with the Malaysian police." Another said, "In the past those leaders have condoned these sorts of attitudes as the norm — naturally the rest of the population think it's OK." Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ... A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an organization which is not a part of a government. ...

The Royal Commission on the Police that released its report earlier in 2005 also noted incidents of ear squats in the nude were common police procedure, despite being a breach of regulations. The commission recommended a code of practice that would not permit these cases to be included as part of the Standing Orders of the Inspector-General of Police. 2005 (MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Raja Petra Kamaruddin, a member of the Selangor Royal Family and a prominent member of the opposition, lambasted the government for only noticing such abuses now. He claimed he and his wife had both been stripped and hit by police personnel when they were detained, and called it "accepted practice in Malaysian lockups." Raja Petra argued that the government was only bothering to take action because the economy, which is reliant on tourism, would be impacted by the reports of abuse. State motto: no State motto Capital Shah Alam Royal Capital Klang Sultan Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Chief Minister Mohd Khir bin Toyo Area 7,956 km2 Population  - Estimated 4,100,000 State anthem Duli Yang Maha Mulia Selangor (Jawi: سلنجور, population 4. ...

Independent commission

On December 2, it was announced that a five-member independent commission had been set up to investigate the incidents of alleged abuse. Chief Justice Tun Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah was named as the commission head; he had earlier served in the same capacity in the Royal Commission on the Police Force. The other members of the commission were Lim Ah Lek, Kamilia Ibrahim, former chairman of the Bar Council Kuthubul Zaman Bukhari and Hamzah Mohammad Rus, who would serve as the commission secretary. All of them had also served in the Royal Commission. December 2 is the 336th day (337th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Their stated objectives were to determine if the woman in the clip was one of five Chinese nationals who had filed complaints about police abuse, probe the procedure of body search shown in the clip, determine if there was any impropriety in the manner the search was conducted, and to investigate the police Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and the regulations concerning body searches, and then recommend amendments or alterations to these rules. Abdullah gave the commission 30 days to prepare its report.

References

• Abas, Azura (Nov. 26, 2005). "For closer co-operation". New Straits Times, p. 2.
• Abu Bakar, Zubaidah (Nov. 26, 2005). "Naked anger over lockup abuse". New Straits Times, pp. 1, 6.
• Charles, Lourdes (Nov. 27, 2005). "Police to go after person who filmed naked woman". The Star.
• "China asks Malaysia to probe assault cases". (Nov. 29, 2005). Xinhua.
• Chua, Eddie (Dec. 2, 2005). "Commission given 30 days to probe nude ear-squat video scandal". The Sun.
• "Commission had highlighted ear squats". (Nov. 27, 2005). New Sunday Times, p. 3.
• Cruez, Annie Freeda (Nov. 27, 2005). "'Only medical staff can carry out such checks'". New Sunday Times, p. 3.
• Damis, Aniza (Nov. 28, 2005). "Strip search — it's not legal". New Straits Times, p. 1, 6.
• Emmanuel, Tony (Nov. 27, 2005). "Nude video clip probe". New Sunday Times, pp. 1, 3.
• Gill, Parveen (Nov. 12, 2005). "Police made me strip, says Chinese national". The Star.
• Kent, Jonathan (Nov. 25, 2005). "Video puts Malaysia police in dock". BBC News.
• Kent, Jonathan (Nov. 27, 2005). "Pressure on Malaysia police chief". BBC News.
• Kent, Jonathan (Nov. 30, 2005). "Malaysia minister defends police". BBC News.
• Kent, Jonathan (Nov. 30, 2005). "Malaysia police minister 'sorry'". BBC News.
• Lim, Kit Siang (2005). "Press freedom interference - dangerous precedent in Pak Lah era". Retrieved Dec. 1, 2005.
• Lim, Kit Siang (2005). "Who will back down – PM and DPM or Deputy IGP?". Retrieved Nov. 28, 2005.
• "Malaysia investigates abuse claim". (Nov. 26, 2005). BBC News.
• Ooi, Jeff (2005). "Noh 'kena bambu' for 'lying' to PM". Retrieved Dec. 1, 2005.
• Ooi, Jeff (2005). "Noh Omar censured for shooing at foreigners?". Retrieved Nov. 30, 2005.
• "PM orders independent inquiry". (Nov. 29, 2005). New Straits Times, p. 1, 6.
• "Protests after motion denied". (Nov. 30, 2005). New Straits Times, p. 4.
• Sonia, R. (Nov. 29, 2005). "'Police acted according to rules'". New Straits Times, p. 6.

The New Straits Times is a Malaysian English language newspaper. ... The Star is the leading English-language newspaper in Malaysia. ... Xinhua (Chinese:新华通讯社/新華通訊社, pinyin:xīnhuá tōngxùnshè) is also the short for Xinhua News Agency Xinhua (Chinese:新化县/新化縣, pinyin:xīnhuà xiàn) is a county in Hunan,China, See Xinhua County. ... The Sun is the first and only free national English daily newspaper in Malaysia. ...

External link

• MerdekaReview.com - a video of Internal Security Minister Noh Omar making the "go home" remark.