[asia-apec 925] [Fwd: letter from Tian Chua 25/11]

[Cynthia Gabriel]

LETTER FROM TIAN CHUA 25th NOVEMBER 1998
(received 26/11/98 by SUARAM)

Campbell Police Station
Jalan Dang Wangi
Kuala Lumpur


Dear friends,

Now is 24/11, midnite. I am spending my fourth night in the lock-up.
There are about 14 others
so-called $A(Breformasi$B(B inmates kept in here. Some of them were arrested
during the KLCC demo;
and various other occasions. The first night I was kept with the big
cell with mostly drug-related
OKT (Orang Kena Tahan/inmates) as the police called them. The next cell,
cell No 4. is the
$A(Breformasi$B(B cell where most suspected supporters of reformasi were kept.

Life in here, needless to say, is extremely boring. We try to keep
ourselves in high spirits. I moved
over to Cell 4 when the police on duty did not notice. From time to
time, police would try to
separate me from the group. I repeatedly went back when they changed
shift. However whenever I
got moved, I would use the opportunity to chat with other OKTs, do some
ED. Tonight I am shifted
to Cell 6 because this afternoon, when a few of the $A(Breformasi$B(B
detainees were taken for 113, they
all answered, "I will tell in court". The Investigating Officer, Selva,
got very pissed off and asked the
police to separate me. The police officers also from time to time use
racial sentiments to frighten
people. They told the $A(Breformasi$B(B detainees not to listen to NGOs and
also specifically said that they
were Malay thus should not expect assistance from non-Malay NGOs. The
I.O. Selva also told the
magistrate during my remand hearing that one of the reason for my
detention was I, being a Chinese,
was present in a Malay area. Can U believe that? We are not only living
in a fascist state, the
government is also establishing an apartheid! Racialism seems to the
last trump card Mahathir can
use to break the people$B(Bs movement. The police (CID & SB included) all
repeat the same line about
racial riots - Bosnia, Indonesia etc.

Most of the time, when we are being interrogated, the officers would be
endlessly lecturing us about
the country will be broken up like Bosnia or Indonesia. What do they
know about what really
happened in these places? It is clear that the regime is using the old
trick in its last desperate attempt
to cling to power. But I am sure that the active participation of all
races in the people$B(Bs struggle will
smash the lies into pieces.

Besides racism, violence is even more prominent among the police.
Violence is the way they express
their power. Within the walls of the lock-up, almost every individual
was beaten in the process of
arrest or interrogation. Forced confession is probably the only means of
investigation for the police.
With me, they were a bit more careful. Only on the first nite (i.e.
Sunday about 1:00 am), a
uniformed police officer, Syed Fadil, at Balai Stadium waved his
(end-part) semiautomatic rifle over
my head when I was being escorted to the vehicle.

Later the lock-up officers (Shamba, Latif, Mustafa and Zulkifli (?))
again tried to remind me of the
violent culture with a rough introduction. To show his authority, Shamba
forcibly stripped off my shirt
and pants when he was imposing the so-called lock-up rule. The zip of my
pant was torn in the
process.

To be fair, a number of officers were relatively calm and peaceful, at
least to me. Except one
$A(BHashim$B(B who has a bad temper. He was very abusive towards new entries
to the lock-up. A few
immigrant detainees were very badly abused when they checked in.

Last nite (23/11 Monday) (Day of Remand), I told hjm that one friend
(from reformasi group) who
has leg injury due to police punishment needed to be hospitalised. (as
the magistrate agreed). He got
angry, since I have challenged his authority. He ordered me to go back
to my cell. He began to be
abusive in his language and manner. So I too rebuke him in loud voice.
As I walked back to my cell,
I warned him that he was wrong in being very violent towards OKT. When I
was in my cell, he
rushed in and threatened to assault me. Fortunately his colleague calmed
him down. He also sounded
apologetic later. Actually I have no intention to challenge him. I just
want to make a point that
OKT/inmates have to be treated with some dignity.

Many OKT complained to me that they were really treated like animals.
The attitude of the police is
breeding more violence. The detention of many reformasi fighters is
providing them a good
education. Now people are aware that reformasi is not restricted to
political change nor it is an
abstract idea. Reformasi must include 3 crucial aspects: the institution
of police, prisons and
judiciary.

Our cases clearly shows that legal procedures and the rule of law were
completely ignored. Until
now, I am still unaware of which laws I have violated. This morning I
asked the 4 SB officers who
interviewed me (Subra, James, Zol and one I forgot).

"What have I done which is considered a threat to peace and order of
this society?"

They were not able to answer directly. Actually Subra said what I did as
NGO was not really a
problem. They are only concerned with people who might cause riots. (Not
too sure he referred to
the police or so called $A(Breformasi$B(B). When I confronted them on whether
they feel the country is on
the brink of disorder, they said, "No, it is far from it!" Apparently
these SB, differ from the view of
Dr. M.! I suppose this is also an admission that police were
over-reacting towards those peaceful
weekend public gatherings.

Thus evidently there must be a reformasi of the police force. This is
part of our program of
$A(Breformasi total$B(B. No doubt, negative aspects of the police such as
violence, unprofessionalism,
corruption (e.g. RM 50 for a packet of cigarettes, a few roti canai; RM
100 per phone call; drug
pushing) have to be eliminated. We also need positive measures such as
improving the police salary,
facilities, efficiency etc. (I hope police could support our $A(Breformasi$B(B
based on these!)

The lock-up conditions also need major overhaul. Although this is not my
first time here and I am
trying to adapt myself, the conditions are still atrocious. With the
Ventalin, I survived the dust of the
mouldy blanket at nite. But bugs and mosquitoes constantly keep me awake
at nite. I am trying to
get used to the food but clean water is a big problem. Our only access
to drinking water is from the
tap in the wash room. However what really disturbs me is still the
culture of violence surrounding me
in this lockup. The remand is like a mini ISA where detainees are
constantly being threatened and
treated with violence - from the 1st moment when they enter. I just
can$B(Bt imagine how I can endure
this $(H(B I am also constantly told of stories of beatings, torture....I
feel like shouting loudly and
endlessly "Stop! Stop! Stop! " (Actually I have just shouted to stop a
Singh policeman who was
beating up a new entry a moment ago - 4:30 a.m., 23/11)

As my blank space is coming to an end, I shall stop here. I will write
more if I can smuggle new
pieces of paper in the next days. Lastly please send my regards to my
family and comrades who are
concerned about me. I am fine and in good spirits.

Long live the people$B(Bs struggle

Tian
5 a.m. morning, 25/11
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