KUALA LUMPUR, July 13 — Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu today gave the assurance that there will be no cover-up in the probe into the death of a navy officer cadet on May 19 while undergoing training in Lumut, Perak.
“I assure you that the investigation will be carried out independently and fairly with no cover-up. I also appeal to the family to be patient and wait for the probe to be completed,” he said in a statement.
Mohamad instructed the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) to release a detailed report on its probe into the death of Graduate Officer Cadet J. Soosaimanicckam while undergoing training on board KD Sultan Idris.
He also said that stern action would be taken against those involved if there was evidence of any misconduct that resulted in the death of Soosaimanicckam.
Yesterday, Soosaimanicckam’s family demanded that the RMN and the Royal Malaysian Police provide a detailed explanation of the cause of the officer cadet’s death.
The family’s lawyer, N. Surendran, said he was concerned about the cause of Soosaimanicckam’s death as the preliminary report stated that he had died of fluid in the lungs when the medical report prior to the training revealed that he was very fit.
A news portal reported on May 20 quoting Manjung District Police chief ACP Muhammad Hanif Othman that the forensic report had ruled out foul play in the officer cadet’s death and that he had died of fluid in the lungs. — Bernama
