Nazri: Who’s putting pressure on Pornthip?
By Fazy Sahir, Free Malaysia Today
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz has refuted an allegation by renowned Thai pathologist Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand that she was under “political pressure” from the Malaysian government to not testify in the Teoh Beng Hock inquest.
While saying that allegation was not true, Nazri added that the specialist needed to name the people who she alleged put pressue on her as the government will not take action if there was no solid proof to support the allegation.
“Tell me who? Nazri or others. We want to know, if not how are we to help her. Anybody can say I have been pressured. But who put on the pressure, we want to know,” Nazri told reporters in the Parliament lobby today.
He was asked to comment on the allegation by Pornthip that she will not testify in the Teoh inquest that will resume on April 20 due to “political pressure” from the Malaysian government.
Nazri also denied an allegation that the expert was not allowed to enter Malaysia earlier this year, as according to him there was no reason for that as she had been allowed in earlier.
“I do not believe that the government and our officers harassed her and stopped her from entering the country,” he said.
Nazri said if that had happened he would have been informed.
“The Attorney-General has never met me to say that we not allow her in. I feel she is just scared. I believe that her testimony in the inquest is not correct, which she cannot defend now and is looking for reasons to not attend,” he said.
Meanwhile, the secretary of the DAP legal bureau, Gobind Singh Deo, said Nazri needed to provide proof of the allegation as it was a serious matter.
Gobind who met reporters in the Parliament lobby also invited Nazri to participate in the Teoh inquest.
“Nazri’s accusation against Pornthip is serious and issued at his pleasure,” he said. Gobind also represents Teoh’s family at the inquest.
Meanwhile at the same press conference this morning, DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang suggested that the government call for an emergency Cabinet meeting to discuss Pornthip’s claims of “political” pressure.
Yesterday Nazri had claimed that Pornthip was lying over the pressure exerted on her to give the inquest a miss.
