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©New Straits Times
(Used by permission)
KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court yesterday ordered a member of the Rela voluntary
corps to pay a former guest relations officer RM100,000 in damages for taking a
picture of her relieving herself in a truck five years ago.
Judge Datuk Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat also told Mohamad Tahir
Osman, 45, to pay all the costs and eight per cent interest on the damages from
the day of judgment until full settlement to Maslinda Ishak, 31, now a dental
nurse.
The judge said what Tahir did was outside the scope of his duty, which was to
maintain security and he did it purely on his own accord.
Therefore, he was wholly responsible for his action on the plaintiff, she added.
She said that in taking the picture, Tahir had injured Maslinda emotionally.
The incident happened after Maslinda and several colleagues
were arrested by Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department (Jawi)
enforcement officers and Rela members during a raid at Kelab De Vegas, Jalan
Imbi, here about 11.30pm on March 21, 2003.
After the arrest, they were led into a truck. At 12.50am, when the truck was at
Jalan Jejaka 5, Taman Maluri, Cheras, Maslinda asked to go to the toilet but was
denied.
Instead, she was told to relieve herself in the truck. She did exactly that,
shielded by a scarf held by her friends, but Tahir then came, pushed her friends
away and took her picture with his camera.
Maslinda brought the suit on April 25, 2003 to seek RM5 million in damages from
Tahir, the Rela director-general, Jawi and Government of Malaysia.
Judge Tengku Maimun ruled that the Rela director-general, Jawi and Government of
Malaysia could not be associated with Tahir's doing.
Maslinda was represented by Sangeet Kaur Deo while Tahir did not have a lawyer.
Senior Federal Counsel Azizan Md Arshad and Wan Roslan Wan Ismail acted for the
three other defendants.
On April 16, 2003, the magistrate's court sentenced Tahir to four months' jail
after he pleaded guilty to outraging Maslinda's modesty. -- Bernama
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Circular No 304/2008
Was the police and the AG just as quick and enthusiastic in arresting and charging this Rela guy for his outrage against poor Maslinda's modesty, as they were say with Anwar or RPK? Where are our men in blue heading? They sure do not have my confidence when I ponder about going out to my local 7-11 at night.
Lim Chong Leong