Death of Malay firefighter in temple riots ruled to be ‘criminal act’, risks heightening tensions
- Malay firefighter Malay firefighter Last November, protests against the proposed relocation of a Hindu temple in Kuala Lumpur turned violent
- Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim was pulled from an emergency response van and beaten before dying in hospital three weeks later
After Muhammad Adib’s death, the Pakatan Harapan government – which was six months old at the time – was caught flat-footed as politicians scrambled to minimise the fallout and maintain order. The situation became so urgent the government suspended its moratorium on the draconian security laws passed by the previous administration.
In Malaysia, a firefighter’s death threatens to set off long-standing racial tensions
According to political scientist James Chin of the University of Tasmania’s Asia Institute, the findings of the inquest into Muhammad Adib’s death could deepen ill-feeling.
“The findings are not surprising but it will raise tensions as right-wing Malay groups may blame ethnic Indians,” Chin said.
Ethnic Indians make up 6.9 per cent of Malaysia’s population, while Muslim Malays make up more than 60 per cent of the country’s population.
Tommy Thomas, the country’s attorney general and an ethnic Indian, already faces calls for his resignation from opposition parties alleging authorities failed to control the riot and the government subsequently covered it up.
“Does he wholeheartedly want to find Muhammad Adib’s murderer now that the Coroner’s Court has found criminal elements leading to this death?” asked Razlan Rafii, a senior Umno leader.
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The inquest, which lasted more than 40 days, found “the blunt chest trauma is not caused by himself or accident but a criminal act by two or more persons unknown” who pulled Muhammad Adib out of the fire department’s emergency response van.
“I also found that the victim’s death was the result of the police and Federal Reserve Unit’s (FRU) failure to control the riot,” the coroner said, adding it was “unfortunate” that hundreds of FRU personnel who arrived on the scene with water cannon had “only watched” firefighters be attacked by rioters who did not want the fires extinguished. “They were only standing by with their weapons because they didn’t receive any orders to act.”
The attorney general and police must now decide how to proceed with investigations.
The riots were provoked by the proposed relocation of the 167-year-old Seafield Sri Maha Maariamman temple outside the nation’s capital of Kuala Lumpur. The violence began when 50 masked, machete-wielding men stormed the temple and attacked devotees, including senior citizens and women. About 20 vehicles were damaged or set alight before riot police arrived.
In response, thousands of people gathered outside the temple the following day to show support and ostensibly defend it. This gathering also turned violent when emergency service staff, including Muhammad Adib, were attacked. The office of the developer behind the proposed relocation was also vandalised.
After news of Muhammad Adib became public, police secured the Seafield temple and the developer’s office to prevent potential backlash or violent protest. More than 100 people were arrested and seven charged. In July, there were still 28 cases under investigation. The temple has not been relocated and the matter is still being deliberated in court.
