Democratic Action Party Malaysia
Press Release 17.5.1983
The Opposition Leader and DAP Secretary General, Sdr. Lim Kit Siang, sent the following cable yesterday to the Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs, Datuk Musa Hitam, in connection with the shooting incident in Batu Pahat on 15th May 1983, where a fisherman was killed and a woman injured:
“ YAB Datuk Musa Hitam,
Acting Prime Minister
and Minister of Home Affairs,
Jalan Datuk Onn,
Kuala Lumpur.
People of Batu Pahat greatly concerned about shooting and killing by police of fisherman, Gan Kian Guan, in Batu Pahat on 15th May at around 3.50 a.m. Version given by Batu Pahat OCPD in newspaper contradict eyewitness accounts. According to OCPD, Gan was one of 6 persons who tried to ram or knock down two policeman which led to shooting. From my investigations, Gan, who is eldest son of Minyak Beku DAP Branch Chairman, attended DAP dinner in Batu Pahat on 14th May after which before midnight he went to Khoon Yew Funeral Association for a night’s sitting for a friend’s father who had passed away. At about 3.00 a.m., he offered to send a 25-year-old woman, another person paying her last respects at same funeral home, to her home on his motorbike as she didn’t have transport to go home. Together with Teo Ching Hock, Gan and the woman were heading towards Jalan Kluang and at about the second milestone, they saw two policemen signaling Gan to stop with a torchlight.
Gan turned back as he and the woman weren’t wearing crash helmets. Teo also did the same as he had removed the silencer from his exhaust. Teo who was behind heard a shot but did not stop to look.
On Sunday, I brought Teo Ching Hock to meet the Batu Pahat OCPD to help in police investigations.
I ask that a through investigation be conducted into the killing of Gan who has no police record. The police version in the press adopting the account of the policemen involved is most shocking. The policemen’s account should be held suspect until full investigation and for the police authorities to adopt his account when it is being challenged can only undermine public confidence in the ability of the police to investigate without bias into allegations made against policeman whether for negligence, brutality or cold-blooded murder in the course of duty. Urge Ministry to send Bukit Aman higher officials to investigate into case and conduct a review as to police handling of complaints against policemen by public.
Lim Kit Siang
Parliamentary Opposition Leader and
DAP Secretary General”
( N. Madhavan Nair)
Secretary to the Opposition Leader
DAP Headquarters,
77, Jalan 20/9,
Petaling Jaya.
Tel: 769554