Naked Chinese woman ordered by police to ear squat

3:56 I make a 2-liner in AE, before 5:00 PM, Thailand time Datuk Noh Omar
repudiates his own statement.

AE, very fast and look who is reading in here.

And now that the Chinese are getting a bit angry, delaying the visit of Malaysian officials, the PM interverned also...

Pak Lah: Noh statement totally against Government's policy on visitors

Thursday December 1, 2005. The Star Online

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has reprimanded Datuk Noh Omar for his remarks that foreigners and visitors should go home if they thought the Malaysian police were cruel.

Abdullah, who is also the Internal Security Minister, said the remarks by his deputy minister were “highly inappropriate”.

“His statement is totally against the government's policy and stand on foreign visitors and tourists, where we welcome all of them whether to holiday, study, seek medical treatment or to do business here.

“Members of the Government should be more sensitive and careful when making any statement in connection with this issue.

DAMAGE CONTROL: Noh taking questions from reporters at the Parliament lobby Wednesday.
“I have reprimanded Datuk Noh Omar on this matter,” the Prime Minister told Bernama.

Noh was reported to have made the remark at a press conference at the Parliament lobby on Tuesday when asked about the video clip featuring a woman, believed to be a Chinese national, doing ear squats in the nude while in police custody.

However, yesterday morning he called for a press conference where he denied making the statement, but at the same time offered an apology.

“I deny saying that if they (foreigners) don’t like it, they can go back. That is not right. If there is such a quote, it might have been misinterpreted.”

He apologised if the reported statement had offended anyone.

”There are many foreigners who come in as tourists and overstay.

“If they found the police to be cruel and the country unsafe, surely they would have gone back a long time ago. That was what I meant,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby yesterday.

Expressing regret over the matter, he said that if he wanted to make a statement, he would certainly want to give a positive image of the country.

''I would want to indicate that it was a safe place and that the police lock-up incident was an isolated case,'' he added.

Earlier, MCA Youth chief Datuk Liow Tiong Lai had called for Noh to clarify his statement, saying that he should retract the statement if he had made it.

Liow also said that the police were not above the law and that they should abide by procedures when carrying out their duties.

He said action should be taken against those who abuse their powers and that it was very obvious that there had been abuse of power when a woman was asked to strip at the lock-up.

Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang said the Prime Minister’s reprimand was insufficient.

He said Noh should retract his statement, apologise and be suspended or sacked.

“His explanation saying that the press had misunderstood him is unacceptable.

“Nobody misunderstood him. It’s very clear what he meant and what he said has undermined not only the Prime Minister’s efforts (policy of not profiling and of welcoming foreigners) but was also detrimental to national interests,” he told reporters.

Beijing summons Malaysia's envoy to protest about the treatment of ethnic Chinese in Malaysia.

http://news.bbc.co.u...fic/4487198.stm

Asia Expat, on Dec 1 2005, 10:50 AM, said:

This is weird. They are Malaysian citizens, why are the Chinese concerned? That's like Ireland petitioning the US State Department because I am not getting a fair trial in the US, or The Republic of Congo upset because Rodney King got nearly beaten to death. I guess blood is thicker than water for the Chinese.

Nude squat woman identified

Tuesday December 13, 2005. The Star Online

PETALING JAYA: The woman featured in the video clip doing ear squats in the nude testified on Tuesday before the Commission of Inquiry probing the incident.

She is a 22-year old Malay, and is currently three-months pregnant.

mbkudu, on Dec 5 2005, 10:21 PM, said:

I agree, Mbkudu, this is pretty weird.
Malaysian Chinese are as Malaysian as the Malaysian Malay and not Chinese anymore.
But for the Chinese, any Chinese is from mainland China.

chuchok, on Nov 26 2005, 12:45 PM, said:

Finally got the explanation, it helps you maintain balance...


Thursday December 15, 2005. The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: Ordering detainees to perform ear squats is acceptable police procedure applied to suspects before they are sent to the lock-up, the Commission of Inquiry heard yesterday.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Musa Hassan testified that while duduk berdiri (sit and stand) was not written in the Inspector-General’s Standing Orders, “it was an accepted practice” and police personnel have been verbally told to make detainees perform the act.

“Disciplinary action could be taken against personnel who, having known about them, did not obey these oral instructions,” he added.

Stripping suspects and making them do squats were to ensure that they did not conceal prohibited items or weapons, he said.

“Once, a detainee hid a toothbrush in his rectum,” said Musa. “He brought it into the lock-up, sharpened it and attacked the sentry. It became a weapon.

“During my time with the narcotics division, I’ve found condoms filled with drugs hidden in the rectum after asking the detainees to do the squat and stand exercise,” he added.

The alternative to the squats was to send the detainees to medical officers, he said.

Earlier, Dr Zainab Shamsuddin affirmed that squats were effective in expelling foreign objects from the vagina and rectum because the action would cause pelvic muscles to relax.

“It’s only a matter of time before the object is expelled,” said the Kuala Lumpur Hospital consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist.

Dr Zainab said it was possible to insert foreign objects in the vagina and rectum “because they are quite large compared with the urethra.”

“Voluntary muscles can be trained to retain a foreign object depending on one’s muscle tone,” she said. “Any cylindrical object can be inserted.”

On the need to hold the ears, she said it helped a person maintain balance while doing the squats.

chuchok, on Nov 26 2005, 12:45 PM, said:

Finally got the explanation, it helps you maintain balance...


Thursday December 15, 2005. The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: Ordering detainees to perform ear squats is acceptable police procedure applied to suspects before they are sent to the lock-up, the Commission of Inquiry heard yesterday.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Musa Hassan testified that while duduk berdiri (sit and stand) was not written in the Inspector-General’s Standing Orders, “it was an accepted practice” and police personnel have been verbally told to make detainees perform the act.

“Disciplinary action could be taken against personnel who, having known about them, did not obey these oral instructions,” he added.

Stripping suspects and making them do squats were to ensure that they did not conceal prohibited items or weapons, he said.

“Once, a detainee hid a toothbrush in his rectum,” said Musa. “He brought it into the lock-up, sharpened it and attacked the sentry. It became a weapon.

“During my time with the narcotics division, I’ve found condoms filled with drugs hidden in the rectum after asking the detainees to do the squat and stand exercise,” he added.

The alternative to the squats was to send the detainees to medical officers, he said.

Earlier, Dr Zainab Shamsuddin affirmed that squats were effective in expelling foreign objects from the vagina and rectum because the action would cause pelvic muscles to relax.

“It’s only a matter of time before the object is expelled,” said the Kuala Lumpur Hospital consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist.

Dr Zainab said it was possible to insert foreign objects in the vagina and rectum “because they are quite large compared with the urethra.”

“Voluntary muscles can be trained to retain a foreign object depending on one’s muscle tone,” she said. “Any cylindrical object can be inserted.”

On the need to hold the ears, she said it helped a person maintain balance while doing the squats.

A Malaysian inquiry asks police to stop forcing suspects to strip and squat, after a row about a video.

http://news.bbc.co.u...fic/4639750.stm

Malaysia's top police officer gives senior colleagues a public dressing down over their lack of awareness of human rights.

http://news.bbc.co.u...fic/4766022.stm

New body search guidelines

4 March 2006. Farrah Naz Karim. New Straits Times

PUTRAJAYA, Fri. The police have come up with their own rules on conducting body searches on suspects.

In the clearest sign yet that not all the recommendations by an inquiry panel set up by the Government would be implemented, the "Inspector-General of Police Standing Order on Code of Practices for Body Searches" requires the suspect to be practically attired during searches instead of "partially dressed", as suggested by the panel.

This, the rules say, is "to protect the dignity and pride" of suspects.

Other guidelines in the police rules include:

* classifying body searches into three categories — pat-down, strip and intimate searches;

* the requirement that searches could not be conducted by officers below the rank of inspector; and,

* giving consideration to gender and cultural sensitivities like only allowing officers of the same gender to conduct searches.

The standing order clearly excluded the commission’s recommendation that intimate searches could only be done by a doctor, or a hospital assistant or registered nurse acting under the direction of a doctor.

Also omitted was the requirement to obtain warrants to conduct intimate searches.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohd Bakri Omar confirmed that the document, which is being fine-tuned, will contain guidelines for the force in conducting body searches.

Asked if the document would be referred to the Attorney-General for vetting, Bakri said it was within police powers to adopt the guidelines.

"I have the authority to enforce the guidelines. We put in many years of police experience in drafting the guidelines, including my 35 years with the force."

He gave the assurance that the public would be kept informed as the guidelines would be posted on the police website.

"Since members of the public want to know the way the police work, we will let them in on our practices."

Asked when the guidelines would be adopted by the force, he said it might be in three months. The standing order was distributed yesterday to 147 police chiefs who attended the three-day human rights’ course in Kuala Lumpur.

It came slightly more than a month after the Independent Inquiry Commission announced its recommendations on police body search procedures. The panel was set up after a video-clip of a woman doing squats in the nude was made public in Parliament on Nov 24.

The chairman of the commission was former Chief Justice Tun Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah and its members were former Human Resources Minister Tan Sri Lim Ah Lek, former Bar Council chairman Kuthubul Zaman Bukhari and Wanita Umno Legal Aid Bureau chief Datuk Kamilia Ibrahim, while Internal Security Ministry Deputy Secretary General Datuk Hamzah Md Rus was the secretary of the commission.

Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur Police Chief Datuk Mustafa Abdullah said police had to consider the practicality of the commission’s recommendations before implementing them.

"We cannot simply implement them. How sensible is the suggestion that scanners be put in all police stations?

"Do we have the budget for them? It is difficult for us even to carry out maintenance in other aspects, what more costly scanners?

"On the part where warrants are required for searches, what if my men bring in 200 people during raids? Do we get warrants for all of them?"

Nude-squat woman seeks RM10m from Govt

18 Jul 2006. New Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR: The woman who was at the centre of the nude-squat controversy is demanding compensation of RM10 million from the Government.

Hemy Hamisa Abu Hassan Saari, 23, yesterday filed a letter of demand through her lawyers, demanding a reply within the next 14 days, failing which her lawyers will proceed with a writ of summons.

At a Press conference at his office in Sentul, lawyer Baljit Singh Sidhu cited wrongful and negligent detention as the reasons for the claim.

Baljit said his client suffered public humiliation as a result of the video clip being circulated.

"Although it has been a year since the incident, she is still traumatised," he said.

Baljit was assisted by lawyers Abd Shukor Ahmad and Hazizah Kassim.

Hemy was present with her husband Kamarul Hamri Mohd Latif, 22, and her father-in-law.

She did not say much when questioned by reporters.

Her only response was in Bahasa Malaysia: "Apa yang berlaku pada saya tidak adil" (What happened to me was not fair.)

Hemy has since married and is a mother of a four-month-old daughter. She is a housewife.

She was arrested on June 29 last year near SR Damansara Jaya along with five others for allegedly being in possession of 19.6gm of syabu.

She was taken to the Damansara Utama police station before being transferred to the Petaling Jaya police station. There, she was forced to strip naked and perform squats, supposedly to expel any concealed objects in her body.

The episode was recorded using a cell phone camera by a policeman. It was then circulated and grabbed nationwide attention.

The incident led to the setting-up of the Nude Squat Inquiry Commission.

Hemy and five others had claimed trial to the drug charge when they were charged at the Petaling jaya magistrate’s court last October and the case is up for mention next month.

Meanwhile, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said it was the right of the woman to sue but declined to comment.

On the person who recorded the incident, Musa said: "He is no longer a policeman."