Ganapragasam's Last Journey

16 June 2009

The cortege left Apartment Impian at Damansara Damai about 3.20 p.m. with a handful of friends, relatives and MP for Kapar, YB S.Manikavasagam. The presence of Uthaya Kumar was a heartfelt sight.

Earlier, I spent some time talking with Manimagalai, the wife of the late Ganapragasam. She has to shoulder the responsibility and to lay foods on the table for her eight children from now on.



Two of her children had started working a few days ago, just before this misfortune befell upon them. Her eldest son is twenty-two and the youngest, also a son is six. The siblings are four boys and girls.

She is a strong woman who can contain her emotion, but the tell-tale signs of her anger could be deciphered on her face when the moment of anguish flashed across her mind.

We all can understand the situation out of sympathy, but unable to feel her tormenting grief because we are not her to walk a mile in her shoes.

Justice has to be given to her and she has the right to keep plying for the truth why her husband left home alive and kicking and she had to receive his body from the mortuary without a word of goodbye.

She is an adult, a woman, a wife and a mother. What she has left now is just those bitter memories where she has no means to forget. I bet that if she were to be given a bag filled with solid cash or her husband, she will go for the latter. This is how I perceived Manimagalai to be.

Ganapragasam had his final journey to his resting place, while his children he left behind with Hobson’s choice have to find courage to live for all the days to come, without their father’s love.



YB S.Manikavasagam, MP for Kapar.



Saudara Uthaya Kumar

The 12 June Presidential election in Iran.

The 12 June Presidential election in Iran.

The 12 June Presidential election in Iran.

As Iranian officials declare victory for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Iran's presidential elections, his main rival Mir Hossein Mousavi is crying foul over irregularities in the poll.

Tehran and other cities have seen the largest street protests and rioting since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Iranian students are supporters of reform candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, and naturally, the Iranian students in Malaysia staged their protest with United Nation in Kuala Lumpur.

Judging from the attire donned by the male and female protesters, it is difficult to say that they are from an Islamic country.

It is ideal to let the photos do the talking and you judge for yourself the beauty of the genders.

Our police did not take kindly over such peaceful protest and tear gas was fired.

Iranian Protest

15 June 2009 at 4.00 p.m. and as scheduled, Iranian citizens slowly streamed into the car park adjacent to the UN Building at Jalan Semantan despite the presence of the FRU. Those present were estimated close to 1000 in headcount!

What is the reason and why?

The event will be told soon after I have cropped the selected photographs and complete downloading all the short video clips (time consuming) to tell you the story.

Stay tuned.

Died In Police Custody - Ganapragasam Antony

On the way home on Wednesday (10 June) 53 years old Ganapragasam was detained by the police for the investigation for theft.

Only the following day when he was taken to court for remand order, his wife was informed about the nature of his arrest. According to his wife, she saw bruises on his face.

Ganapragasam told the magistrate that he was assaulted by the police while in their custody. However, on the 14 June (Sunday), the wife of the deceased was told to be at the mortuary of University Hospital.

No one was allowed to view the corpse except for his wife, not even his teen-age children. The next-of-kin, politicians and friends gathered at the compound of the mortuary waited for Ganapragasam’s wife with anxiety.

She related that she was only allowed to view her husband’s corpse which was tilted sideway with visible bruises. Other than looking at what her eyes were allowed to see, she was even disallowed to touch her husband’s body. The vital question is, WHY?

She decided to lodge a police report at the hospital police beat base with the help Miss Renuka, a lawyer from the Human Rights committee.

A press conference was held after which. Adun for Bukit Lanjang, Miss Elizabeth Wong and MP Sivarasa were on hand to assist the bereaved family.

It was so timely that when the press conference was over, Ganapragasam’s wife received a short message from one police inspector asking her to be at Sri Damansara police station who wanted to record her statement. She was exhausted and down over the incident and Elizabeth told the police that they could record her statement only when the wife is ready.

It is with hope and expectation that the coming events to follow on Ganapragasam’s case, more Malaysians will come out to give their moral support to this bereaved family. Since the government is promulgating 1Malaysia, this is the time to support such call. Don't wait until it comes to you and by then, there will be no one left to help you through!

With such repeated cases of death at police custody, the civil society must be made aware and to remember that everyone is innocent until proven guilty.

Died In Police Custody

This is the Press Conference with YB Elizabeth Wong, after the police report was made by the wife of the deceased Ganapragasam Antony, who died in the police custody (Sri Damansara Police Station) on Sunday 14 June 2009.

More to come.