Controversial actions renew scrutiny over enforcement overreach in Malaysia

Experts say cases highlight the limits of oversight bodies long criticised as toothless

- Muzliza Mustafa Malaysia Correspondent

A police patrol in Kuala Lumpur in October. While Malaysia does have an oversight body in the Independent Police Conduct Commission, it lacks the power to prosecute and acts more like a fact-finding and advisory body. PHOTO: AFP

(AFP)

Cases of controversial raids and fatal police actions in Malaysia have renewed scrutiny over enforcement overreach and accountability.

Experts say these cases highlight the limits of oversight bodies long criticised as toothless, reviving the question of who watches the watchmen.

The debate was sharpened by a fatal police incident in Durian Tunggal, Melaka. On Nov 24, the police shot dead three men - M. Puspanathan, 21; T. Poovaneswaran, 24; and G. Logeswaran, 29 - during an early-morning operation.

The authorities initially claimed the men were linked to a gang responsible for over 20 robberies in Melaka, Negeri Sembilan and Selangor involving RM1.35 million (S$428,000) in losses. The police alleged that an officer sustained serious injury when he was attacked with a machete during the confrontation.

Lawyers for the families, however, disputed the police narrative, alleging that the trio were killed execution-style, citing an audio recording as evidence.

The audio was of an apparent phone conversation between Mr Logeswaran and his wife soon after the trio's vehicle was stopped by the police, and minutes before they were shot dead. The recording appeared to debunk the police claim of a violent confrontation between the three men and that one of them attacked a cop with a machete. Mr Logeswaran's wife produced the phone recording at a news conference in front of the lawyers for the families.

The case took a significant turn on Dec 16 when the Attorney-General's Chambers, Malaysia's top legal office, reclassified the probe from attempted murder to murder, a rare move involving a law enforcement case that shifted the focus to the officers involved.