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Thursday, 19 November 2009

Shootout suspect’s sister dies of paraquat poisoning

By Neville Spykerman- The Malaysian Insider

KLANG, Nov 18 — Housewife R Seetha died of multiple organ failure at the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital (HTAR) here today, a week after she apparently drank paraquat while grieving for her brother, who was killed in a police shoot-out on Nov 7.

According to the Human Rights Party Malaysia (HRP), Seetha died at 3.05pm at the intensive care unit. It reported that her husband, M. Manimaran, and the party’s pro-tem secretary-general P. Uthayakumar were at her bedside when she passed away.

Uthayakumar said doctors tried to revive her but failed, calling the death a double blow to the family just 11 days after her brother died.

The party quoted the hospital’s Dr Loh Hoong Sheng as saying Seetha died of multi-organ failure.

The 31-year-old mother and two of her children were admitted to the intensive care unit at the HTAR on Nov 12 while the other two children were in the normal ward after the alleged incident.

Her family said Seetha was devastated by the death of her 24-year-old brother R Surendren, who was among five men “high on the police wanted list” who were gunned down by police in Klang Utama on Nov 7.

They claimed that at 8.30am on Nov 12, Seetha poured the weedkiller into mugs and gave it to her children to drink with a straw before consuming it herself.

Her lorry driver husband has been questioned by police but was later released.

Her family and HRP maintain Seetha was “pushed over the edge” because of her brother’s death while police believe “domestic problems” was a factor in her suicide.

Uthayakumar told The Malaysian Insider that Seetha body would be taken to the family’s home in Gemencheh, Negri Sembilan, because Hindu funeral rites prohibits two funerals to be carried out at the same time.

The 16-day prayers for her brother is not yet over and her death is a double blow for the family, said Uthayakumar.

He added that the condition of the children who are also at the hospital remain unchanged.

Her eldest daughter Darshini, nine, and her only son, Kugendran, are in critical care while her two other daughters Usharani, seven, and Navina, three, are being treated in a normal ward.

Police had classify the case as attempted suicide as well as attempted murder and Seetha might have faced charges for trying to kill her children had she survived.

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