Not the first time, says lawyer

Responding to the claims by Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand that she has been pressured by the Malaysian government into bowing out of the Teoh Beng Hock inquest, lawyer for Teoh’s family Gobind Singh Deo said this is not the first complaint of harassment she has faced.

While Gobind (right) said he is still in the process of clarifying the matter with the doctor, the Puchong parliamentarian described Pornthip’s predicament as “most unfortunate”.

Efforts will still be made to affect her attendance in court, failing which “alternative arrangements” will be sought for her to give evidence to the inquest via video link.

“If that too fails, we will have to proceed with what we have and we are confident we will still be able to succeed in establishing our case, which is that Teoh Beng Hock did not commit suicide, but instead his was a clear case of homicide,” said Gobind in a statement.

He also described the assistance given to the family by Pornthip as having been to date “most useful.”

“It is through her effort that we managed to exhume the body and conduct the second post-mortem, the result of which has given a whole new dimension to the circumstances surrounding the death of Beng Hock.

“Insofar as the family of the late Beng Hock is concerned, the fight for justice for Beng Hock will and must go on. We will proceed with the inquest until the very end,” said the DAP MP.

Selangor Menteri Besar and PKR leader Khalid Ibrahim (below), meanwhile, suggested that Pornthip be allowed to continue giving evidence to the inquest by electronic telecommunications.

“We appeal to the court to allow (her testimony) by electronic communications. She can stay in Bangkok while the (court proceedings continue) here. We’ll try to explore this opportunity,” he told a press conference in Hulu Selangor.

This could address any concerns she may have that her own safety or security could be compromised if she came to Malaysia.

“This is in pursuit of truth and justice,” said Khalid in response to Pornthip’s claims of being subjected to pressure from the Malaysian government.

“They shouldn't do this. This is not the right way. We must take care of Pornthip.”

'I believe her'

Meanwhile, DAP MP Lim Lip Eng (below), who has been assisting Teoh’s family since the tragedy, said he believes Pornthip is telling the truth.

“The government is doing this because they are afraid it might effect the Hulu Selangor by-election results,” said the lawyer in a statement.

“If they wanted to pressure her, they could have done so much earlier when she first testified. Doing it now shows (there is a) connection to the Hulu Selangor by-election,” he claimed.

“I condemn the hidden hand which is putting political pressure to ban Pornthip from testifying, forcing her to choose between ... the Teoh Beng Hock inquest and her forensic investigations into the deaths in Southern Thailand,” said Lim.

Bar Council chairperson Ragunath Kesan (left), meanwhile, weighed in on the possibility of Pornthip's testimony being done via video-conferencing.

"However, (Selangor government lawyer) Malik Imtiaz Sarwar has to apply for this, and the (inquest) coroner will have to give due consideration," he said.

Ragunath said what was more important was for the government to find out who or what agency or organisation which has been putting pressure on Pornthip.

"The government has to uphold the rule of law and do anything and everything possible for an expert witness to testify. This is of utmost importance," he added.

Pornthip, on her part, should also reveal who exactly had been threatening her, Ragunath urged.