Ean Yong’s investigation under Session 506 Penal Code is a weak case

Selangor DAP State Chairman Ean Yong Hian Wah’s statement on Christmas Day which caused him to be investigated by the Police under Penal Code Session 506 Punishment for criminal intimidation cannot hold water as Ean Yong did not intimidate the police force.

For this purpose, I hereby reproduce Ean Yong’s statement which was issued in Malay:

“Saya ingin mengutuk sekeras-kerasnya terhadap pihak polis kerana siasat Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang Lim Guan Eng tentang kenyataannya mengenai Teoh Beng Hock dibunuh kejam. Tindakan ini jelas sekali menpunyai motif politik untuk menghalang rakyat daripada kisah sebenar kematian Teoh beng Hock.

“Kali ini, pihak polis bertindak pantas secara luar biasa untuk mengambil tindakan. Ia telah diperkudakan oleh Barisan Nasinal sebagai jentera politik untuk menyerang peminpin-peminpin Pakatan Rakyat. Justeru itu, Kementerian Dalam Negeri juga memainkan peranan yang penting dalam isu ini, saya menyeru kepada menteri Dato’ Seri Hishammudin supaya memberi penjelasan tentang tindakan tersebut kepada rakyat.

“Sampai hari, tiada sesiapa daripada kerajaan Barisan Nasional meletak jawatan untuk bertanggungjawab ke atas isu Teoh Beng Hock yang mati tanpa sebab di Ibupejabat SPRM Selangor pada 16hb Julai yang lalu. Ini adalah amat memalukan kerana inspirasi “Satu Malaysia” hanya merupakan satu jaminan kosong daripada Perdana Menteri Dato’ Seri Najib Tun Razak.

“Apa yang rakyat dapat lihat sekarang adalah kerajaan Barisan Nasional cuba untuk menyembuyikan sesuatu, termasuk melambatkan proses siasatan Inkues, menolakkan cadangan untuk menubuh Suruhajaya Siasatan Diraja untuk menyiasat kes kematian Teoh Beng Hock dengan bebas dan adil.

“Kini, rakyat Malaysia tidak percaya bahawa Teoh Beng Hock mati dengan cara bunuh diri. Walaupun kerajaan Barisan Nasional ingin mengawal penyiaran berita dan informasi di negera ini, tetapi ia tidak akan dapat kawal fikiran bebas rakyat.

“Saya menyeru pihak polis supaya menghentikan siasatan terhadap Guan Eng dengan serta-merta. Rakyat mahu kerajaan Barisan Nasional untuk mengembalikan maruah dan kebenaran kepada Teoh Beng Hock.

Ean Yong Hian Wah

Exco Kerajaan Negeri Selangor

Pengerusi DAP Selangor”

The controversial part was the last paragraph which literally means that “I urge the police to stop investigations on Guan Eng immediately.”

This sentence cannot be regarded as intimidating the police force. In order to understand what the meaning of criminal intimidation, one have to refer to Session 503 of the Penal Code as below:

Section 503. Criminal intimidation.

Whoever threatens another with any injury to his person, reputation or property, or to the person or reputation of any one in whom that person is interested, with intent to cause alarm to that person, or to cause that person to do any act which he is not legally bound to do, or to omit to do any act which that person is legally entitled to do, as the means of avoiding the execution of such threat, commits criminal intimidation.

Explanation - A threat to injure the reputation of any deceased person in whom the person threatened is interested, is within this section.

ILLUSTRATION - A, for the purpose of inducing B to desist from prosecuting a civil suit, threatens to burn B's house. A is guilty of criminal intimidation.

It is very clear that in order to establish a case of criminal intimidation, the paramount element is the threat, or an act of threatening somebody. In Ean Yong’s case, he did not indicate any element of threat towards the police force.

Did Ean Yong claim that he will shoot the police force, organize riots, burn the houses of the policemen, kill their family members, or charge them in court?

Ean Yong can be investigated if he ever said such or did something which can be regarded as an act of threatening towards the police force.

It is most unfortunate that the police do not realize that there is not such element of threat in Ean Yong’s statement and thus police investigation against him under Session 506 of the Penal Code is a very weak case.