KUALA LUMPUR, 19 Nov 2008: Police refuted claims that they are turning a blind eye to alleged sexual abuse involving Penan women.
According to CID director Datuk Mohd Bakri Zinin, the police had investigated eleven reports of alleged rapes in the Baram area since 1995.
He said only one report involved a Penan girl and the case was investigated thoroughly by the police and the investigation papers was submitted to the Senior Federal Counsel but the case was not brought to court due to insufficient evidence.
“The other 10 reports did not involve Penan women. Five of these cases were brought to court and the suspects convicted. One case is still pending in court, three cases are still under investigation while one case was dropped by the Senior Federal Counsel due to lack of evidence,” he said in a statement here yesterday.
Bakri was replying to a statement by the Bruno Manser Fund (BMF) that was published in the media on 17 Nov, which had questioned the integrity, competence and effectiveness of the police in dealing with matters affecting indigenous people. — Bernama
