After Zara Mother Willing To Exhume Utm Trainee Son S Body For Answers

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The mother of a Johor university student who died during a Reserve Officers Training Unit (Rotu) exercise in Ulu Tiram, Johor, said she is willing to have her son's body exhumed to investigate his death.
Dusun Tua assemblyperson Johan Abd Aziz said Syamsul Haris Shamsudin's mother Ummu Haiman Bee Daulatgun expressed this when he met her today.
This came after 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir's body was exhumed earlier today.
"We have just been shocked by the suspicious death of Zara in Sabah, which is still fresh in people’s minds.
"Now, we are faced with another incident that raises big questions. Two young lives have gone under mysterious circumstances. The question is - how many more of our children must become victims?
"This case is not just a tragedy of ordinary deaths, it is a test of the integrity of the country's institutions and investigation system," Johan said in a statement today.
Dusun Tua assemblyperson Johan Abd AzizThe exhumation process of Zara's body took place in Kampung Mesapol, Sipitang, Sabah, this evening.
Zara was found unconscious in a drain below her school dormitory in Papar on July 16 and died the following day at Queen Elizabeth I Hospital in Kota Kinabalu.
Trainee’s case
Ummu had voiced her suspicions that her 22-year-old son had been murdered and called for a full investigation.
She said she observed severe bruising, bleeding from the nose and eyes, and wounds resembling gunshot injuries, and that the injuries appeared inconsistent with the explanations provided to her.
Ummu told a press conference that she was alerted to the tragedy on July 28 when she received a call around 4.30pm from a lecturer at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) in Skudai, where Syamsul was a student.
ADSKota Tinggi police chief Yusof Othman later said no criminal elements or external injuries were initially found on Syamsul's body, but laboratory results were still pending to confirm the cause of death.
Defence Minister Khaled Nordin also reportedly announced the formation of an inter-ministry committee to probe Syamsul's death.
According to the New Straits Times, he said the committee was comprised of representatives from his ministry, the Home Ministry, and the Higher Education Ministry.
Several oddities
Johan further said that based on his observations, which were collected from explanations from the family and the chronology he obtained, there were several alleged oddities in the case.
Among them are:
Two contradictory versions of Syamsul's death, with one claiming that he was beaten and another alleging that he was beaten;
The presence of bruises, strangulation marks, and continuous bleeding on his nose, ears and neck even after 24 hours of death;
The hospital's failure to ensure that the autopsy was conducted by a forensic specialist;
The next-of-kin were restricted from witnessing the autopsy process, bathing the body and asking Syamsul's fellow trainees about the incident that caused his death, and
The refusal of authorities to accept the police report lodged by the family at the initial stage, as well as conflicting explanations from Rotu officers.
Johan then called for the police, the Defence Ministry, the Higher Education Ministry, and the Health Ministry to investigate Syamsul's death.
"If no concrete action is taken, I, along with lawyers and the family members, will not hesitate to bring this matter to Suhakam so that justice can be served," he said. - Mkini

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