THE Attorney-General has been asked to make a statement on whether or not police manning Sek Kong Detention Centre during a riot last year will be prosecuted, the High Court heard. Mr Justice Gall, adjourning the mass murder trial for the fourth day, informed the jury that Senior Crown Counsel Peter Power would pass on the concern of three Vietnamese witnesses who have halted the trial until they get assurances. Pham Thi Xa had claimed that the police were involved in a conspiracy and had allegedly opened the gates to allow the attackers to get into their section, which resulted in 24 deaths. Ms Pham called for the police to be punished. ''I will continue when we are satisfied in our conscience that the police responsible will be punished,'' she said. Mr Justice Gall told the jury that the witness was not willing to continue her evidence as she had made it a condition that the police officers be prosecuted. The case was adjourned until tomorrow to enable a juror to attend to personal matters today. On trial are 13 southern Vietnamese aged between 19 and 37 who have pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and rioting last Lunar New Year, when a hut was set ablaze killing 24 people, half of them children.
