The police shot dead another 6 in Kedah - no one, except alleged girlfriends survived

There has been concerns about these 'shoot to kill' incidences involving the police for some years now, and again we see that it has happened again and 6 have been shot dead.

I always wonder why there is no of the persons that were shot survived to be arrested...charged and tried.

What are the chances that all the 6 men are killed in the shooting?

Odd, that not a single policeman seem to have suffered any injury by reason of being shot...although they say that the 6 shot at the police...

8 policeman and 6 allegedly suspects in shoot-out, all 6 dies, and not a single police officer killed or sustained any bullet wound, odd, is it not...

Kedah police chief Syed Ismail Syed Azizan said that in the 10.10pm incident, a team of eight policemen, acting on a tip-off, raided a house which was believed to be used as a center for illegal gold smelting.

"When the policemen barged into the house and introduced themselves, six men between the ages of 20 and 50, fired several shots at them, and in defence, the police fired back and the shots hit the six suspects," he was quoted as saying by Bernama. - Malaysiakini, 18/2/2009, Six killed in shootout with cops

This incident needs some serious investigations?

Were the police targetting areas of the victims bodies that will cause death - or were they trying to just shoot, injure them and arrest them?

Why did this incident involve '... CID officers and personnel from Bukit Aman, Penang, Perak and Kedah...'. Why was it not just a group of police from Kedah ...and maybe Penang?

Were the 'specialists' brought in to do this arrest...or maybe just do them all in? Serious questions that need answers.

There must be comprehensive investigation done NOW - and it will be interesting to see where the police bullets landed.

After killing 6 of them, it is very very wrong for the police to make allegations or implications that these were 'very bad people' - i.e. robbers, ' high on the police’s wanted list for the past two years', and “They were part of a group with links to the notorious ‘Gang 8’ that was actively involved in criminal activities in Kulim."

The dead cannot defend themselves - and the Malaysian public should not blindly accept what the police says about these victims.

Interestingly, it happened in Kedah... (the place where there will be a by-election soon)

Interestingly, the 6 who were shot dead by police were all Indians - and Indians make up a significant percentage of voters..

Putting aside the by-elections, I wonder when we will see an end to these 'shoot to kill' incidents. Why were they killed? Was it accidental or was it intentional?

Were the pistols really seized from the robbers, now dead, and who cannot even dispute the police version of events.

Was the whole action of the police recorded?- Maybe that should become standard procedure. Then, we could always look at the recordings, and decide whether it was as the police said it happened. Whether the police used reasonable efforts to apprehend the 6 suspects alive?

The six suspected robbers shot dead in Kampung Kemunting, Karangan, Kulim on Tuesday were high on the police’s wanted list for the past two years.

Bukit Aman CID director Commissioner Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Zinin said the group was believed to be involved in at least nine armed robbery cases, including five in Kedah alone.

“They were part of a group with links to the notorious ‘Gang 8’ that was actively involved in criminal activities in Kulim.

“We have been monitoring them for two years and took all necessary measures before conducting our raid at their house that was guarded by several Rottweilers and three-metre high zinc fencing,” he said at a press conference here yesterday.

Comm Mohd Bakri said the raiding team, comprising CID officers and personnel from Bukit Aman, Penang, Perak and Kedah, were shot at by the suspects and police returned fire, killing them.

Deadly weapons: Kedah Police Chief Deputy Commissioner Datuk Syed Ismail Syed Azizan showing the pistols seized from the robbers during a press conference in Sungai Petani Wednesday. — Bernama

The dead were identified as contract workers R. Elangovan, 38, and L.S. Santana, 34, contractor R. Pannir, 28, crane driver S. Vadivelan, 29, carpenter S. Gurusamy, 50, and lorry attendant R. Dilip Kumar, 20.

Four women, aged between 21 and 28, said to be their girlfriends were also picked up and remanded by a magistrate’s court to assist in investigations.

Comm Mohd Bakri also denied talk that one of the suspects who was killed was a schoolboy hit by stray bullets, or that one of the dead suspects was related to a politician.

“We hope politicians, non-governmental organisations and the public will stop twisting facts and figures that could create unnecessary problems.

“Our job is to protect the public and not harm them,” he said, adding that police would not hesitate to take action against those who spread rumours and politicised the case.

He stressed that police did not target any race in curbing crimes.

“The police had grounds and proof to conduct the raid on the group. We did not simply ambush them because they are from certain race.”

Comm Mohd Bakri also said police would be calling up Padang Seri MP P. Gobalakrishnan to assist in investigations as he seemed to have more details and information than the police regarding the six who were killed.

He hoped Gobalakrishnan would come forward and assist the police as the police wanted to ensure investigations were transparent and covered all angles.

Gobalakrishnan and fellow PKR MP Zulkifli Noordin (Kulim–Bandar Baru) said in Parlia-ment yesterday that an independent panel should be set up to investigate if proper procedures had been followed in the shooting.

Both questioned the rational of the police action.

Gobalakrishnan said all six, were locals in Kulim and one of them worked in Singapore. - Star Online, 19/2/2009, Dead robbers high on wanted list