Family wants body exhumed

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KLANG: The family of political aide Teoh Beng Hock has filed an application at the Shah Alam Coroner’s court for permission to exhume his remains for a second autopsy.

His younger sister Teoh Lee Lan said the family decided to seek the order in order to get to the truth.

She said the family believed exhuming his remains would help validate Thai forensic pathologist Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand’s expert opinion.

Truth at all cost: Meng Kee (front) and Lee Lan leaving the Shah Alam Coroner’s court yesterday after filing an application for Teoh’s remains to be exhumed.

Dr Pornthip had testified last week at the inquest into Teoh’s death that she believed there was an 80% chance his death was due to homicide, and not due to suicide as argued by two experts appointed by the Government.

“We want a second post-mortem to strengthen Dr Pornthip’s opinion,” said Lee Lan yesterday.

She said she and her eldest brother Meng Kee filed the application accompanied by their Gobind Singh Deo.

Dr Pornthip, who is the director-general of the Thai Ministry of Justice’s Central Institute of Forensic Science, had told coroner Azmil Muntapha Abas that she was willing to conduct a second post-mortem on Teoh’s remains.

She had added that she would be able to come up with a more concise and detailed analysis if she could examine the remains.

Dr Pornthip, who was engaged by the Selangor state government to give her expert opinion at the inquest into Teoh’s death, had said the wound in Teoh’s anal region appeared as if something had been shoved up his anus.

She had said that he may have also been strangled given the finger marks around his neck.

When questioned by Gobind at the inquest last week, Dr Pornthip said she would still be able to conduct the post-mortem although the body had been buried almost four months ago.

Meanwhile, Lee Lan said the family would fix a date to offer prayers at Teoh’s grave in Semenyih pending exhumation once they obtain the court order.

Teoh, who was the political secretary to Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah, had been summoned to the state Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission office on the 14th floor of Plaza Masalam here for questioning on July 15.

He was found dead at the building’s fifth floor the following day.

After filing application, Gobind said they had requested for early date, adding that it would be heard before inquest resumes on Nov 9.