Teoh’s death may raise ethnic unease

(The Malaysian Insider) KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 – The funeral of Teoh Beng Hock, an opposition official of Chinese descent who died after questioning by anti-graft officials, drew thousands of angry mourners on Monday, threatening to raise tensions in the country.

Teoh, an aide to a Democratic Action Party (DAP) legislator from the Pakatan Rakyat-run state of Selangor, was found dead on Thursday, having fallen from a 20-storey building not long after he was allegedly released from questioning by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

Many of the country’s opposition leaders attended the funeral in the central state of Malacca.

Mourners carried a red-lettered banner reading: “We want truth and an explanation.”

The death came as new Prime Minister Najib Razak had seen his approval ratings rise after opening up the economy and pushing an inclusive concept dubbed “1Malaysia” in a country where the majority of the 27 million population are Malays but where there are big Chinese and Indian minorities.

“This could potentially drag down support levels for the government and Najib, although at present it is limited to certain segments of society,” said Ibrahim Suffian, head of the independent Merdeka Center which conducted the polls.

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