This troubles me so much that I decided to interrupt my weekly schedule and put down my thoughts in writing today. I am merely responding to the AG’s statement explaining the circumstances behind this late submission of new evidence. You can read the statement from the link below.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/8/10/nation/6829378&sec=nation
The role of an inquest
Not being an expert in this field, I went to wikipedia to check.
An inquest is a judicial investigation in common law jurisdictions, conducted by a judge, jury, or government official. The most common kind of inquest is an inquiry including a medical examination by a coroner into the cause of a death that was sudden, violent, suspicious, or occurred in prison. • In general usage, inquest is also used to mean any investigation or inquiry.
An inquest uses witnesses, but suspects are not permitted to defend themselves. The verdict can be, for example, natural death, accidental death, misadventure, suicide, or murder. If the verdict is murder or culpable accident, criminal prosecution may follow, and suspects are of course able to defend themselves there.
In other words, the inquest is meant to gather the facts, listen to professional opinions, and then to determine the cause of death.
It is not for others withhold evidence, even if they are not absolutely convinced about the integrity of the evidence. That judgement belongs to the coroner.
Whatever the circumstances, the facts from the statement released by the AG tell us that he is aware of the existence of this note for months and yet did not inform anyone involved in the inquest.
Evidence is information
The critical element of evidence is that you cannot deny it. And that makes it imperative that an inquest have access to all evidence found. If it is genuine it tells a story. If it is false it also tells a story. Therefore the integrity of the evidence lies in it existence. Whether it is genuine merely adds another layer to what we conclude from it.
The fact that the AG decided not to inform the coroner of the existence of this note because he doubted its genuineness is unbelievable.
An incompetent IO for a high profile case?
The investigation officer says he did not find the note at first but only after two months. And only because a psychiatrist told him to look for a suicide note. Then he recently admitted he did find the note when he searched the bag a day after the death of Teoh.
Firstly the fact that the IO lied has already compromised the whole investigation. What else might he have lied about or falsified? Secondly the fact that he needed a psychiatrist to tell him to look for a suicide note – wait, that was a lie, right?
Suicide was the conclusion
As far as I remember, that was the song sung by the government over the case. If that was your conclusion why would you doubt the veracity of the note, especially when you have no evidence that it is false? You think he committed suicide, you find a note and you think, maybe it is not genuine? Or if you think someone planted a note, why would you tell the public that suicide was the most logical conclusion from the evidence?
My heart goes out to Teoh’s family who has to relive this over and over again. Why are they not informed of the existence of a note? Is it not their right to know of something so personal as that? And if you are trying to determine whether a person wrote a note, wouldn’t it be logical to ask those closest to him? So why didn’t you? Everybody wants to know the truth – the Teoh family is not an adversary but people who have to come to terms with a tragic loss. Whether it is gross incompetence as the AG statement wants us to accept, or whether this is an attempt to muddy the waters, the case has continued to be a cruel, cruel joke on them. It seems to me that we can only turn to God for justice. And that is how I am praying.
The Micah Mandate is a Christian-based public interest advocacy ministry that seeks a transformation of our nation through justice, mercy and humility.
August 12th, 2010 at 12:35 pm
By introducing this questionable suicide note at this late stage of the inquest, the authorities are taking a huge risk in exposing the culpability of the MACC.
By proving that the note is a fake, we will have further evidence (by motivation) that the murderers of TBH are trying to cover up his death as a suicide.
How much will they have to pay Pornthip to change her verdict is no longer relevant.
Through the weight of circumstantial evidence, the proof of murder is in proving that the suicide note is a fake.
That will be the challenge for Karpal and I believe the Msian public should know about this key issue whatever the court decision.
August 12th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
To all seekers of truth and justice,
The only way to uncover the mystery of TBH’s death is to do two things:
(1) Pray that the chinese ghostwriter who wrote the fake suicide note confesses either in person or anonymously. Pray that his conscience and the blood of TBH will be on him if he remains in hiding.
(2) Put out an advertisement online and throuhgout the press to seek out that person who wrote the fake note. Appeal to him to come out to bring closure to this terrible wound in the nation and in TBH’s family.