A key witness in the murder case of a 14-year-old Chinese national has been 'challenged' to return to Malaysia to assist police investigations.

The 'challenge' was issued by Klang and Pantai Klang Chinese Association chairperson Tan Yoke Chung (right) at a press conference this morning.

He was responding to the statement made by the witness, who is also a Chinese national, at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday.

Fang Sui Jing, 27, had defended her former boss and lover, Malaysian businessman Koh Kim Teck, during the press conference, which was also attended by several Malaysian journalists.

Koh, 53 and two of his bodyguards were tried for the murder of Xu Jian Huang, a nephew of Koh, whose body was found in the tycoon's Ampang house on Sept 26, 2004.

The trio were acquitted and discharged without their defence being called by the Kuala Lumpur High Court the following year.

However, Kok and one of the bodyguards have "disappeared" before the prosecutors could filed a review. Notices have been sent to the duo to appear in court.

Fang, who was employed by Koh during the time of the murder, was jailed for seven months for overstaying before she was deported prior to the trial.

During the Beijing press conference, Fang claimed that she was treated inhumanely during her detention - including being forced to do nude squats - and made to change her cautioned statement to implicate Koh in the murder.

Reopen case

Meanwhile, Tan, who was instrumental in helping Xu's family when they came to Malaysia, said the woman should come forward to help solve the case.

"This is to seek justice for herself (over the alleged abuses) and for her former employer. She should not have gone into hiding for the past three years," he said.

Describing her as a "normal peasant", Tan raised possible conspiracy theories on how she managed to employ the services of a reputable legal firm in China and how she managed to get the head of the Social Survey Institute of China to be present during the press conference.

"Is there someone backing Fang - someone with money, influence and a motive - and plotting behind the curtains?" he asked.

"If Fang is respectful and loyal to her former employer Koh ... why did she wait until after the matter subsided, and disappeared for three years while avoiding trial? Her words and her actions are contradictory," he said.

Reopen investigations

Tan also urged the police to reopen investigations into Xu's murder as the guilty party had yet to be found.

He said Xu's family had sought help from the police after the trial only to find out that the case had been closed.

In a related development, Deputy Internal Security Minister Fu Ah Kiow described Fang's allegations of mistreatment as baseless.

"These are allegations she made. She did not allow reporters covering the press conference to ask questions, neither did she entertain queries from Xu's father, Jin Lai.

"The allegations are baseless as such we need not be bothered," he was quoted as saying in a news report.

During the press conference in Beijing, Li Dongmin, the head of the Social Survey Institute of China, had asked the Malaysian government to put the police, immigration and prisons department under the spotlight in view of Fang's claims.

He said if the authorities are found to have mistreated her, they should apologise to the people of China.