Gamblers Forced Bald
That is exactly what happened when 11 men - including 10 senior citizens - “…were arrested during a mahjong session here on the second day of Chinese New Year.” With the nude squats issue out of the way, we now have forced balding as another “normal practice“ conducted by police on detainees.
But we might see an early resolution to this. Our PM has after all taken quick action:
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has ordered the police to investigate whether the action by the Kajang officers to shave bald 10 senior citizens caught playing mahjong was done according to procedures.
So, all that remains is the fact that the men suffered the degradation and humiliation of having their heads shaved (and therefore being “…presumed guilty..” before they were even tried) - even though everyone is supposedly “…innocent until proven guilty.”
[…] So, the forced balding we saw with the 11 men recently was not standard practice in any other state, except Selangor it seems. In the New Sunday Times today, police chiefs from a wide range of districts around Malaysia publicly stated that hair is trimmed only when necessary (and even trimming is said to be rare), while shaving is almost unheard of. […]
Pingback by Malaysia.Is-There » Balding Not Standard Practice Elsewhere — Sun, Feb 5th, 2006 @ 5:27 pm
[…] RM 1 million is the magic number this time as the 11 men who had their heads shaved while in police custody will sue the government and police for exactly that much money. Not surprisingly, the lawyers that will take the case of the 11 men are DAP lawyers, with DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng saying that: It is an illegal practice (to shave a detainee bald) as the Lock-Up Rules do not provide for it. I have been detained before and never have they shaved my head bald. […]
Pingback by Malaysia.Is-There » Victims of Forced Balding To Sue Government and Police — Mon, Feb 6th, 2006 @ 7:07 pm