M’sia activists blocked from entering Parliament in push for justice for Teoh Beng Hock

KUALA LUMPUR: The Justice for Beng Hock NGO group’s latest attempt to seek justice and accountability for former political assistant late Teoh Beng Hock’s death met with significant resistance.

To commemorate the 15th anniversary of Teoh’s death, the Teoh Beng Hock Association for Democratic Advancement completed a three-day “March for Justice” on 15 July.

As over 40 individuals reached the Parliament building entrance at 10:17 am, they were confronted by a heavy police blockade. They were informed that they must obtain government permission first.

The NGO, which has been tirelessly advocating for a thorough investigation into the 2009 death of Teoh, intended to present a memorandum to Members of Parliament demanding renewed scrutiny and accountability from the government.

Live video on the group’s Facebook page showed tensions escalating as police stopped Teoh Lee Lan, sister of the late Teoh Beng Hock, from advancing toward Parliament’s main gate while holding a portrait of her brother.

A physical altercation ensued, resulting in the portrait of Teoh Beng Hock being damaged. Overwhelmed with grief and anger, Teoh Lee Lan fell to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

Teoh, expressing dissatisfaction with being blocked by the police, emotionally questioned, “Why was it allowed during former Prime Minister Najib Razak’s time but not now?”

The incident caused an outcry among the protesters, who decried the violence.

She later spoke through a loudspeaker, questioning what the leaders of the ruling coalition component party, the Democratic Action Party (DAP), had done after gaining power.

“If it weren’t for Beng Hock’s life, would there be the current Pakatan Harapan government?”

She asserted that Teoh Beng Hock sacrificed his life in vain for the DAP and questioned why the DAP, after coming to power, prevented the Teoh family from submitting the memorandum.

“Leaders of the DAP, tell me, why can’t our Teoh family submit the memorandum in front of Parliament? Ten years ago, when you weren’t in government, we could submit it in Parliament. Why can’t we do it now? Is this the promised government?”

She demanded that the PH government fulfill their promise and deliver justice to the Teoh family, or she would name all the DAP ministers who failed to act on 21 July.

After Ms Teoh and the representatives were blocked from entering the Parliament, several MPs from the ruling coalition Pakatan Harapan appeared to negotiate with the activists.

Khoo Poay Tiong, PH MP for Kota Melaka, proposed that one MP lead one representative from the NGO (a total of five people) to the Parliament gates to submit the memorandum, but the group quickly opposed this.

Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital, Teo Nie Ching, and Abdul Hadi from the Speaker’s Office arrived later to understand the situation.

After brief negotiations, both parties agreed to a compromise: the memorandum would be submitted to the attending MPs 50 meters from the Parliament gates.

After a standoff lasting an hour and a half, Ms Teoh and her group finally submitted the memorandum to the MPs.

Teo Nie Ching also inquired about Teoh’s condition and offered her a comforting hug.

The memorandum, which the group initially hoped to deliver directly to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, calls for the reopening of investigations into Teoh Beng Hock’s death, stricter measures to prevent abuse of power by authorities, and greater transparency in the government’s handling of the case.

Anwar assures with meet Teoh’s family soon

In response to the latest altercation outside Parliament, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim says that he will meet the family of the late Teoh Beng Hock soon.

In an X social media post on Monday, he said he was aware of the incident that occurred outside Parliament where Teoh’s loved ones were reportedly stopped from handing a memorandum to Parliament.

“I will meet with them soon and review their memorandum,” Anwar said.

Saya ambil maklum insiden yang berlaku di luar Parlimen hari ini melibatkan keluarga mendiang Teoh Beng Hock.

Saya beri jaminan akan berjumpa dengan mereka dalam masa terdekat dan meneliti memorandum tuntutan.#MalaysiaMADANI

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I am aware of the incident that… https://t.co/7MW5EofxK0

— Anwar Ibrahim (@anwaribrahim) July 15, 2024

The tragic saga of Teoh Beng Hock

Teoh Beng Hock served as the political secretary to former Selangor state executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah.

On July 15, 2009, officers from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) of Selangor took Teoh into custody to investigate the alleged misuse of constituency funds by Selangor Pakatan Rakyat state assembly members.

The following afternoon, he was found dead on the fifth-floor balcony of the Selangor MACC headquarters, a discovery that shocked the nation.

After an 18-month inquest, on January 5, 2010, the coroner’s court returned an open verdict, ruling that Teoh Beng Hock’s death was neither suicide nor homicide.

In September 2014, however, the Court of Appeal ruled that Teoh’s death was caused by multiple injuries from a fall, accelerated by “an unlawful act or acts of a person or persons unknown,” including MACC officers involved in the case.

In May 2015, the government agreed to pay Teoh’s family RM600,000 to settle a civil suit initiated in 2012 for negligence resulting in his death.

In June 2011, the Royal Commission of Inquiry released a 124-page report concluding that Teoh was driven to suicide following aggressive interrogation by MACC officers.

In January 2022, Teoh’s parents filed for a judicial review to compel the police to complete investigations into his 2009 death.

The High Court granted leave for the lawsuit to be heard in June last year.