By Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Sunday, April 28, 1991:
Call on IGP, Tan Sri Hanif Omar, to ensure that the police allow Mary Anne Ariokadass to come to Kuala Lumpur to get the protection, shelter and counseling of Women’s Aid Organisation
I am very concerned about the whereabouts and safety of Mary Anne Ariokadass alias Siti Khadijah Mary Anne Abdullah, 30, wife of a detective who had lodged a police report that she had been raped, blackmailed and forced into prostitution by a group of policemen, including officers in Selama, Perak.
A woman activist and former President of the Kuala Lumpur based All Women’s Association of Malaysia (AWAM) Miss Irene Fernanderz, contacted me today and expressed the great concern of women organizations about the disappearance’ of Mary Anne Ariokadass.
Irene said that Mary should protection, shelter and counseling from women organisations after she was treated like a ‘hardcore criminal’ in a grueling 16-hour interrogation by Bukit Aman officers at a hotel room in Taiping, and her husband was not allowed to be by her side. Mary had also complained of harassment by the police in Selama and Taiping.
Irene had contacted the Women’s Aid Organisation in Kuala Lumpur which agreed to provide shelter and counseling for Mary. Mary was to take the right train from Taiping on Friday night and to arrive in Kuala Lumpur yesterday morning. But Mary never arrived, and nobody knows of her whereabouts or that of her husband, R.Kanaperan alias Muhammad Amin Kanaperan Abdullah and both of them had not been seen.
All Malaysians must be very concerned over Mary’s whereabouts, protection and safety, particularly after her grueling experience of being treated like a ‘hard-core criminal’ at the hands of Bukit Aman officers.
There is no justification for the Bukit Aman officers for putting Mary through a grueling 16-hour interrogation which lasted until 1.30a.m. the next day. The length and circumstances of the interrogation itself speaks volumes, for the investigators seem to be prejudiced against Mary in subjecting her to such a grueling interrogation.
This does not help in maintaining public confidence that the Police would act fairly and justly in a very serious complaint against police officers and personal themselves, for a complainant like Mary should not be placed in a position where she now fears being questioned by the police.
Call for change of Bukit Aman investigators into the Mary Anne police report
Can the Malaysian public expect the Bukit Aman officers to further justice and uphold law and order after putting Mary in great fear of the Police? Clearly, this team of investigators should be disband and replaced by police officers who will not treat complainants of sexual abuses and crimes as ‘hard-core’ criminals.
The Police should reveal the whereabouts of Mary and explain why Mary was not allowed to take the night train on Friday night to proceed to Kuala Lumpur for shelter and counseling from Woman’s Aid Organisation. Or has Mary disappeared into thin air?
I call on the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Hanif Omar, to ensure that the Police allow Mary to proceed to Kuala Lumpur immediately to get shelter, counseling and protection from the Women’s Aid Organisation.
The Inspector-General of Police should realise that there is great public attention and concern about the Mary Anne Ariokadass case, and of the Police mishandles the case, then it will not be just the Selama police officers and personnel involved in the sexual abuses and crimes who would be on trial, the reputation and credibility of the entire Police Force, right from the IGP downwards, would be in the dock!
There is no justification for putting Mary Anne in any form of police custody, and she should be allowed to take shelter, counselling and protection with the Women’s Aid Organisation in Kuala Lumpur.