KOTA KINABALU: The state Prisons Department must take deterrent action against its personnel who allegedly assaulted a youth in Keningau several days ago.
Making the call was MCA Pensiangan chief Wong Yai Yuen who said that failing to do so would make the public think that enforcement officers are beyond the law.
Wong said Sabah MCA, including its liaison chief, Datuk Edward Khoo, is very concerned about the case and are hoping that the state Prisons Department will conduct its own investigations against the alleged personnel.
Speaking to reporters here yesterday, Wong said after being informed of the incident, he called the Deputy Home Affairs Ministerís senior private secretary Lim Beng Wah and appealed that the ministry look into the case.
“Today I received a call from Lim who informed me that the suspects have been brought to the state Prisons Department headquarters to facilitate investigations into the case,” Wong said, adding that Sabah MCA would be monitoring its outcome.
The relevant authorities must not sweep the case under the carpet but instead take serious and deterrent action against the suspects if they are found guilty of committing the offence, he stressed.
He pointed out that if the youth had committed an offence, the prison officer should have gone through the proper channel such as reporting the boy to the police.
“As a high ranking police officer, he should not have simply taken the matter into his own hands as this makes it seem that our country is lawless,” Wong said.
The entire incident was captured on the CCTV of a 24-hour convenience store where the assault took place on April 30.
The CCTV video footage clearly showed Ben Cheah Ping Xen, 23 being assaulted by the senior prison officer and his three accomplices with a baton, a belt and a plastic stool.
Ben claimed that the whole episode started when the senior prison officer, who appeared to be under the influence of alcohol, confronted his friend who is also the owner of the convenience store over the manner he double-parked his vehicle outside the store, claiming that it was haphazard and almost caused him to ram into it.
“He (the senior prison officer) even asked us whether we know who he was and without us asking, he identified himself. I then went up to him to apologise on behalf of my friend, but not only that he didn’t accept it but became aggressive and slapped me on my face. Upon seeing this, my other friends and two security guards on duty immediately rushed over to stop him. One of us also immediately called up the police station for help,” he related.
Realising that he was out-numbered, the senior prison officer then called for back-up and in less than five minutes, his group of friends arrived at the scene.
One of Ben’s friends tried to reason with them but was punched right in the face.
They then turned around and targeted Ben.
A panicked Ben then ran into the convenience store to take cover, without realising that was the beginning of his worst nightmare, as he was running into a dead end.
The senior prison officer and his group pursued and beat him up senselessly inside the convenient store.
“My other friends tried to come to my rescue but were prevented by one of the group members at the main entrance,” he related.