Bid to seek guarantee of Tharmendran's safety

The Defence Ministry headquarters went into lockdown mode this morning as a group of six people marched towards the gate to demand a guarantee for the safety of former airman N Tharmendran.The group, which comprised three MPs, two of Tharmendran's lawyers and his father N Nagarajah, was going to present a letter of demand to Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi but were initially barred entry.The MPs were S Manickavasagam, M Manogaran and Zuraidah Kamaruddin, who were accompanying Tharmendran's lead counsel N Surendran and Latheefa Koya.


As the group marched towards the entrance, guards promptly closed the gate and sealed off traffic access to the headquarters.They were met by Major Sharif Jamal Abidin, who told them that they are in a restricted area.“Please understand and be patient. One of our officers will come out soon to receive the letter,” he said, sparking protests from the group.They demanded that as MPs and citizens, they have a right to be treated with dignity and respect instead of being forced to wait on the road.Ministry officials eventually relented after sustained protests from the group, sending out a PR officer to deal with them.They however turned away the officer, identified as Ravee, saying he was not the “right” person to receive the letter.After some 15 minutes of vocal protesting, the group finally coaxed a senior officer, Brig-Jen Md Dzahir Abd Rahim, to meet them at the gate and bring them in for a brief meeting.


Md Dzahir, who is Zahid's military advisor, received the letter on behalf of the minister.Zuraidah, the MP for Ampang, said while they appreciated the meeting with Md Dzahir, they should not have had to kick up such a ruckus outside the ministry headquarters to get a response from senior officers.Kapar MP Manickavasagam said they will continue their crusade for Tharmendran by going straight to Prime Minister Najib Razak next week to demand the same guarantee.Manogaran, the Teluk Intan MP, also challenged the air force to prove that Tharmendran is still working for them, as they claimed in the sessions court last Monday.

Source : http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/138024