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IGP clearing of police negligence or wrongdoing in the latest death of detainee in police custody, R. Sundaraju unacceptable and self-serving and an indictment of Suhakam, warranting a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the some 40 deaths in police custody since 2000 Media Conference Statement - after attending the funeral ceremony for lorry-driver Sundara Raju, 32 by Lim Kit Siang (Klang, Wednesday):  The clearing of police negligence or wrongdoing in the latest death of detainee in police custody by the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Norian Mai is completely unacceptable and self-serving and an indictment of Suhakam, warranting a Royal Commission of Inquiry into some 40 deaths in police custody since 2000. Yesterday, Norian Mai said that no policeman had caused the death of lorry-driver R. Sundaraju, 32, who was assaulted while in police lock-up in the Klang police station. Norian Mai had visited the Klang police station and said after a police briefing that other detainees who shared the same cell with Sundaraju had committed the crime which the police had classified as murder, and that police had identified nine suspects believed to be involved in the assault resulting in the death. It was reported that Sundaraju was sent to the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang on Nov. 15 after he was found unconscious at the police lock-up and died three days later. Whatever the direct cause of Sundaraju's death, the police cannot be allowed to absolve itself of all responsibility by its own self-serving exoneration as Sundaraju was under police custody and protection at the time. It is simply not good enough and even outrageous for Norian Mai to say that the introduction of close circuit cameras (CCTV) at all police lock-ups in the country by the end of the year would enable police to have a 24-hour surveillance on detainees while in police custody and be the solution to prevent incidents in the lock-ups. Is Norian Mai seriously claiming that the lack of closed circuit cameras in police lock-ups is reason and excuse enough for police irresponsibility, negligence or wrongdoing over Sundarju's death, or some 40 cases of police detainees who died since 2000? Sundaraju's death while under police custody is also an open slap in the face of Suhakam, which has a Visitation Sub-Working Group to discharge its statutory responsibility to visit places of detention "to ensure that all detained persons have a right to be treated with respect due to their inherent dignity and value as human beings and that no one should be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishments". What is the use of a Suhakam Visitation Sub-Working Group making various visits and recommendations and expenditures of public funds when it cannot even ensure the most elementary right to life of persons in police custody and stop the spiral of deaths of detainees in police lock-ups in the past three years? Every case of death of a detainee in police custody is an adverse reflection not only on the Police but also on Suhakam! The Deputy Home Minister, Datuk Chor Chee Heung told Parliament a month ago that 34 people had died while under police detention since 2000 - with six in 2000, 10 in last year and 18 in the first nine months of this year. These figures do not include the latest updates, which must now include Sundaraju and the case highlighted last week by DAP Deputy Secretary-General M. Kulasegaran - M. Uthayamaran, 33, another statistic of police detainees who died in custody. Life in Malaysia in 2002 cannot be so cheap and the some 40 deaths in police custody in the past three years are a double indictment on the police and Suhakam. DAP calls for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the death of the some 40 deaths in police custody since 2000, which should have broad terms of reference to cover not only the circumstances of individual deaths, but also police negligence or wrongdoing and the failure of Suhakam to effectively carry out its statutory duties to protect not only human dignity but the very lives of those under police custody. (20/11/2002) * Lim Kit Siang, DAP National Chairman