Teoh inquest: Unforgettable personalities

SPECIAL REPORT Since the high-profile inquest into Teoh Beng Hock’s death began on July 29, 2009, certain facts and faces have insinuated themselves in the public consciousness.

The Teoh family has been adamant in its quest for the truth about why and how the DAP political aide died, after being questioned overnight as a witness at the Selangor office of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

Local and foreign forensics experts remained divided in their opinion even after a second post-mortem was done, leaving sticking points.
 
With the coroner’s ruling due tomorrow, Malaysiakini revisits the inquest and profiles five personalities who captured the imagination for various reasons.

Teoh Lee Lan

Life will never be the same for Teoh’s family, who were forced to forgo ordinary life and take up the struggle for justice.
 
Teoh’s youngest sister Lee Lan stepped into the unwanted spotlight to serve as spokesperson for the family.

The way she fought the system and institutions has been perceived as a symbol of strength. Her pain and anger prompted support from civil society, which set up the ‘Malaysians for Beng Hock’ movement.
 
Together, they have badgered MPs both from BN and Pakatan Rakyat to back their demand that a royal commission of inquiry be set up.
 
Lee Lan and three others were detained by police for six hours on one occasion, as they attempted to get MCA deputy minister Heng Sai Kie to sign their petition.

Commenting her experience in the lock-up, Lee Lan said she knew how her brother must have felt while in MACC custody.
 
Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand
 
Renowned Thai pathologist Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand was thrice in Malaysia, having been engaged as an expert witness by the Selangor government.
 
Her stunning punk hairstyle and fashionable outfits made her easily recognisable and an instant hit with the media and the public.

A Facebook fan-club was set up for her, and there were cheers from the public gallery whenever she marched into the solemn courtroom, causing the coroner to warn the excited crowd to settle down.

She caused quite a stir by claiming that Teoh's death was ‘80 percent’ due to homicide when she first testified, which convinced the coroner to order a second post-mortem.

Although she observed the process, she initially pulled out from testifying because of alleged political pressure from the Malaysian and Thai authorities.

Federal minister Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz called her a liar, saying her action was prompted by inability to defend her ‘homicide’ claim. This almost landed him in contempt proceedings.

Pornthip changed her mind and testified for second time, standing firm on her conclusion that Teoh did not commit suicide.

Her popularity escalated when she ably defended herself while being cross-examined on her observations and conclusions.

Abdul Razak Musa

MACC prosecution head Abdul Razak Musa must have regretted cross-examining Pornthip on Aug 18 last year.

He tried his best to discredit her by questioning her credentials and expertise, suggesting that her post-mortem observations were a result of her imagination.

He even put forward theories of self-strangulation that he demonstrated to the court, much to the amusement of the public gallery.

His strange questions and behaviour annoyed the soft-spoken Pornthip who retorted that she felt sorry that Malaysia has him for a lawyer.

Gobind Singh Deo
 
The second son of prominent lawyer Karpal Singh, Gobind came out of the large shadow cast by his father because of the way he tackled the proceedings.
 
Karpal had been among lawyers representing the Teoh family during the early proceedings. Gobind attended every hearing and came to know the case well.
 
When he 'took over' the case from Karpal and went solo in the courtroom, he displayed his full legal abilities, including going all out to oppose the so-called ‘last note’ being tendered.
 
He was especially good at detecting flaws and probing contradictions in the testimony. He got investigating officer Ahmad Nazri Zainal to concede that the police had not put sufficient effort into investigating Teoh's death.
 
Nazri even admitted he could not rule out the possibility that several MACC officers were suspects in the case.
 
Hor Boon Chung

Some considered him weird, others just wondered about the identity of the strange man who attended every hearing.

Hor Boon Chung, better known as Pak Chung, would appear in court wearing a red shirt and black headband.

He would shout angry slogans and sing patriotic songs outside, while holding up a poster with Teoh’s photograph on it as he tailed the family and their lawyer.
 
Hor was even deemed to be crazy after attempting to stop a MACC vehicle by standing in its way, in total disregard of his own safety.
 
In fact, he was quiet, polite and well-behaved whenever he was in the courtroom.
 
When interviewed by Malaysiakini, he attributed Teoh’s death to :"brutal murder", saying this had turned him into a "full-time agent of justice".
 
To do this, he gave his job as a self-employed gardener and borrowed RM7,000 to sustain his living.

Although his family had cautioned him to stay away from the case, he refused to listen. As a result, they stayed away from him. He maintained, however, that nothing is as important as this case.

Hor said he lost his wife 15 years ago in an accident and that he now lives in Serdang.

Related story
Teoh’s death: Commissioning the truth