Teresa Kok

‘Cops stripped me, took my money’
Beh Lih Yi (Malaysiakini – www.malaysiakini.com)
Mar 30, 06 4:57pm

Sixty-year-old homemaker Cheng Pik Wai claims she was stripped naked and lost RM200 during her three-hour detention at a police lock-up earlier this month.

Cheng, who migrated here 35 years ago from Taiwan after marrying a Malaysian, related her ordeal at a press conference at the Parliament lobby this morning.

The press conference was organised by DAP parliamentarian Teresa Kok.

According to a copy of her police report lodged with the Jalan HS Lee police station, Cheng was detained at the Dang Wangi police lock-up (previously Pudu jail) on March 11. This followed a misunderstanding that she had stolen goods from a shopping mall in the city.

Cheng, who holds a Malaysian citizenship, was sent to the lock-up at about 5pm. Here a policewoman, whom she identified as Samsiah? told her to surrender all her belongings.

At first, Samsiah put all the coins taken from my purse inside a plastic bag. However when she counted the bank notes, I saw her take out a few notes and put them inside her drawer.

She then said the money was for bribe and told me in Cantonese Bei ngo yam cha?(give me tea money),?stated the mother of three in her report.

Samsiah then allegedly asked for Cheng’s ATM card, pin number and her bank balance.

She told me if I didn’t give her (the details), I will be asked to do ear-squats,?said Cheng, who added that she refused to divulge the information but was not asked to perform the squats.

She also claimed that the policewoman had asked for her jewellery.

Stripped and humiliated?/FONT>

Subsequently, two other policewomen brought me to a room and told me to strip naked. Then, they asked me to turn around three times.

When I did this, they started laughing. I felt humiliated,?she said in the report.

Cheng was released, without having her statement recorded, on police bail at about 8pm when her husband showed up.

According to her, after the two policewomen returned her belongings they asked for money in Cantonese “Bei lui?” (give money). Cheng said she gave them RM10.

After she left the premises, she discovered that about RM200 had gone missing. She then returned to the detention centre with her husband and an argument broke out between Samsiah and them.

Samsiah wanted to return RM10 to us but my husband refused. Then Samsiah hit the table in front of us and my husband told her that we will lodge a report against her,?she said.

The case against Cheng has since been dropped after the parties involved reached an agreement.

At today’s press conference, Cheng claimed that she was also refused access to the washroom during her detention and the police also did not arrange for an interpreter as she could only speak Mandarin.

Asked how she felt about the experience, a visibly upset Cheng replied: I was very afraid and felt vulnerable. I am an old woman, why did the police treat me like this??

It was very cold in the lock-up and I could not stop crying but I was not given a chance to explain,?she added.

Cheng was accompanied by her husband Walter Lim this morning.

Why does it still happen?

Meanwhile, Kok, who put the police in a spot recently after exposing a video-clip of a detainee being forced to do ear squats in the nude, expressed regret that procedures continued to be flaunted.

Why must she (Cheng) be stripped, this was not even a case of drug possession. The police have adopted a new body search rule but why is this still happening??she asked.

?The police) talked so much about rejecting the IPCMC (Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission), but see, this (abuses) is still happening,?said the MP.

According to her, Cheng will be asked to identify the police personnel involved later today.

Also present at the press conference was Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang.

Laporan Polis

Nama: Lim Nee Cheng Pik Wai

No K/P: XXXXXXXXXX

Jantina: Perempuan

Keturunan: Cina

Warganegara: Malaysia

Alamat: XXXXXXXXXX Kuala Lumpur.

Pada 11/03/06, saya ditahan oleh pegawai keselamatan SOGO kerana salah faham. Kes ini telahpun diselesaikan di antara pihak SOGO, Sarjan Tomeng Telute dari Ibu Pejabat Daerah Dang Wangi dan saya pada 28/03/06.

Saya ingin membuat laporan tentang masalah yang dihadapi oleh saya semasa saya berada di lokap polis Dang Wangi di bekas Penjara Pudu.

Saya dihantar ke lokap polis di Penjara Pudu pada lebih kurang 5 petang. Semasa saya dihantar ke lokap polis tersebut, saya disuruh oleh polis wanita yang bernama Samsiah (No: 106789) untuk mengeluarkan semua wang dan barangan saya dan letak atas meja.

Pada mulanya Samsiah memasukkan semua syiling dalam dompet saya dalam satu bag plastic. Semasa dia mengira wang kertas, saya nampak dia mengeluarkan beberapa wang kertas dan masukkan dalam lacinya. Dia berkata pada saya bahawa wang itu adalah duit rasuah kepadanya. Dia kata dalam Bahasa Kantonese, “Bei Ngo Yam Cha.”

Lepas itu, Samsiah minta kad ATM Bank Simpanan Nasional daripada saya. Beliau juga tanya jumlah wang yang saya simpan dalam akaun bank dan nombor PIN kad saya. Dia berkata kalau saya tidak beri kepadanya, saya akan dikehendaki membuat ketuk-ketambi di dalam lokap. Walau bagaimanapun, saya tidak memberi nombor PIN kad ATM saya kepadanya.

Samsiah kemudian juga minta barang kemas yang dipakai oleh saya untuk diberi kepadanya tetapi saya enggan memberi kepadanya kerana barang kemas yang saya pakai adalah diberi oleh ibu kepada saya. Samsiah kemudian memasukkan semua barangan kemas saya ke dalam bag plastik yang lain.

Dompet saya sebenarnya mempunyai lebih kurang RM460, tetapi bila Samsiah minta saya kira semua wang kertas dalam bag plastik itu, saya mendapati bag plastik terdapat wang kertas yang sebanyak RM299 sahaja.

Selepas itu, dua orang polis wanita bawa saya ke satu bilik dan suruh saya menanggalkan semua pakaian sehingga berbogel badan. Mereka kemudian minta saya buat 3 pusingan di hadapan mereka. Mereka berketawa kuat apabila saya mengikut arahan mereka, saya merasa sangat malu kerana ejekan oleh mereka. Selepas itu, saya disuruh pakai baju lokap polis dan masuk ke dalam lokap.

Pada jam lebih kurang 8 malam, suami saya datang ke lokap polis untuk menjamin saya keluar. Kedua-dua pegawai polis wanita tersebut pun buka pintu lokap dan suruh saya keluar. Mereka memberi balik semua wang dan barangan kepada saya. Selepas saya tukar baju, mereka minta wang daripada saya dengan berkata, Bei Lui, bei lui.?Saya pun memberi RM10 kepada mereka. Selepas saya membayar wang kepada mereka, mereka ambil ibu jari saya dan cap atas dokumen Resit Bagi Orang-orang Salah dan Harta Orang-orang Salah.

Selepas saya keluar dari lokap polis, saya baru periksa wang dalam dompet saya bersama dengan suami saya. Wang asal dalam dompet adalah RM469 dan saya mendapati RM209 telah hilang, dan saya hanya dapat RM260 dalam dompet saya. Suami saya pun bergaduh dengan Samsiah dan tanya dia kenapa mengambil wang daripada dompet saya, Samsiah ingin beri balik RM10 kepada suami saya tetapi suami saya enggan terimanya. Samsiah pun memukul meja di hadapan kami dan suami saya berkata kami akan membuat laporan terhadap kelakuannya.