KUALA LUMPUR, June 9: “It has been seven long years but justice is yet to be served for the death of my son,” says Joseph Sinnappan, the father of late naval cadet J. Soosaimanicckam who died in 2017 while under training at the naval base in Lumut.
“After having gone in and out of the courts almost 8 years in pursuit of justice for my son, we finally got a judgement of homicide from the Ipoh High Court, but since then efforts have been slow from the police to follow up on the decision of the court,” he said in a whatsapp message to Weekly Echo.
In July 2024, the Ipoh High Court classified his death as homicide. The High Court had ruled that the death was a result of navy officers denying him medical treatment for leptospirosis.
“I made a police report at Bukit Aman to investigate on the criminal element as indicated by the court’s decision to identify the person/persons who had caused the death of my son but so far the police has been quiet,” Joseph said.
Even after sending in a memorandum to Bukit Aman recently, things have been quiet, he said, urging the police to investigate his son’s case again and bring justice to his family.
Joseph and his two other sons handed over a memorandum on May 13th this year to the Attorney General Chambers (AGC), urging the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) to investigate into the death of Soosaimanicckam.
Responding to Soosaimanickkam’s case, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) on June 4th issued a statement pointing to the High Court ruling and urged the police to expedite its investigation and ensure that those responsible are held accountable under the law.
“19th May 2025 commemorates seven years since the passing of the late J. Soosaimanicckam. The fact that seven years have passed without resolution is a serious indictment of the justice system’s ability to protect the rights of victims and their families against criminal wrongdoings.”
Prolonged inaction would undermine public trust in state institutions, particularly, law enforcement agencies, it cautioned.
SUHAKAM also called for a clear timeline for the investigation and prosecution processes. “There must be regular updates to be communicated to the family, and independent oversight to ensure the integrity of the investigation.”
–WE