FAC News - Monday, May 27, 2002 9:25 AM

THE ROYAL COMMISSION OF INQUIRY INTO ANWAR’S BEATING

Anwar’s attack was premeditated, not provoked

From the 22^nd of February to the 4^th of March 1999, a Royal Commission of Inquiry sat to hear the testimonies of various parties with regards to the beating Anwar Ibrahim received on the night of 20^th September 1999.

So far, doctors have testified that Anwar’s beating could have resulted in death while the Director of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Dato Yaacob Md Amin, testified that the decision to arrest Anwar was made one week before the actual arrest.

At first, they said that Anwar was a threat to national security. That was why he was arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA). But, according to Dato Yaacob, Anwar was arrested under Section 377 of the Penal Code - not under the ISA. At the time of Anwar’s arrest, the whole world was told he was arrested under the ISA and nothing at all was mentioned about Section 377 of the Penal Code.

If Anwar was arrested because he had led the largest demonstration in Malaysia’s history, how could the decision to arrest him have been made one week before the demonstration when even Anwar himself did not know yet, at that time, that there was going to be a demonstration?

There certainly seems to be a lot of mystery surrounding Anwar’s arrest. Today, we will continue with Dato Yaacob’s testimony on what happened in the lockup after Tan Sri Rahim Noor, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), entered it. Dato Yaacob’s testimony will prove that the attack on Anwar was not provoked as claimed, but premeditated.

“After Tan Sri Rahim entered the lockup area, he stopped somewhere near the wooden door. He then lifted his fingers to his lips and raised both his hands to his eyes signaling to the person in front of him.”

“There were police officers standing at the counter. They were ASP Rodwan and Dato Ramli Yusof. I cannot remember the others. I cannot remember whether there was any response to Tan Sri Rahim’s signal from the officers in front of him.”

“Not long after that, Tan Sri Rahim straight away headed towards the passage leading towards the cell on the left. He was walking at normal pace. I followed Tan Sri Rahim behind.”

“When I reached the entrance to the passage leading to the cell, I did not see Tan Sri Rahim anymore. Then I heard a voice saying, “Jangan pukul saya” (Don’t beat me) in Malay.”

“I was already in the passage. Spontaneously, I rushed into the cell. The first cell on the left. It is cell number six.”

“I rushed in and grabbed his (Rahim’s) belt with my (right) hand, from behind, and pulled him towards me. With my left hand, I held the bar of the cell door. Dato Ramli assisted me.”

“Dato Ramli was in the cell on Tan Sri Rahim’s right. He was assisting me by pushing him (Rahim) out of the cell. We managed to get Tan Sri Rahim out of the cell and then I took him out of the lockup. And then both of us went up to the 30^th floor.”

“There were a few meetings held. Finally, there was a meeting between Tan Sri Rahim and a few others and myself. At that meeting, it was decided that Dato Seri Anwar is to be arrested under the Internal Security Act. There was no discussion regarding what happened to Dato Seri Anwar in the cell.”

So, the decision to arrest Anwar under the ISA was made AFTER the beating he received and not because of the demonstration as claimed.

Dato Yaacob’s testimony will continue tomorrow.

THE ROYAL COMMISSION OF INQUIRY INTO ANWAR’S BEATING - previous reports