Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia chairperson P Waythamoorthy has questioned the manner in which police killed five men in a shoot-out in Penang as photographs and the injuries suggest they were shot “point blank”.

NONEWaythamoorthy (left), who is also a deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, said he had seen photographs of the Penang shooting sent by his sources.
After viewing them, he said no one in the right frame of mind would believe that there was actually a shoot-out between the police and those killed.

He warned that the people have been monitoring the police statements closely over the years.

“Each time the police appear to be giving a standard answer that they were shot at and acted in self-defence. But the injuries do not describe a shoot-out situation while the photographs show they were shot point blank,” said Waythamoorthy.

NONE
He said it was baffling that Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar (centre in photo) had concluded that the three weapons retrieved from the suspects were related to 10 murder cases.

“One wonders how such ballistic tests could have been carried out at superspeed, and even if that was possible, how they could be linked to 10 previous murders so hastily.
"The people no longer believe the standard answers of self-defence by the police. The force needs to be overhauled,” Waythamoorthy said.

“If the police have been observing the suspects for some time now, as they claimed, we see no reason why they could not be apprehended and brought to face justice."
'Fired in self-defence'
Khalid said yesterday that police had fired in self-defence, and had linked the three pistols retrieved to 10 murders and two attempted murder cases.
However, a family member of one of those killed claimed that they were shot “like animals”.

Waythamoorthy said the Indian Malaysian community was very concerned that they appeared to have become the target of a “shoot-to-kill” policy.

In past years, he said, many youths have been shot dead and police were not able to justify their actions.

Acknowledging that crime was getting serious now and police needed to handle the matter, Waythamoorthy said shooting suspects dead was not the way to go about this.

“Hindraf urges the attorney-general to immediately call an inquest to determine the cause of death of the five youths. The evidence is still fresh and an immediate inquest would dispel the mistrust the community has on police investigating their own alleged misconduct.

“Hindraf urges that a thorough investigation be carried out by an independent body that would restore the trust of the people,"he added.