Press Statement released on 13 Dec 2009

Press Statement (13 December 2009)

The Action Committee condemning the Batang Kali Massacre is disappointed with the British Government for putting unreasonable and unfair hurdles for the surviving families in their quest for justice by withholding or releasing partial documents that formed the basis of the “minded to refuse a public enquiry” decision.

The Co-ordinator for the Committee, Quek Ngee Meng, expressed his utmost dissatisfaction at a memorial service which was held in front of the British High Commission to commemorate those victims who were killed at Batang Kali 61 years ago. Ruling and opposition leaders, leaders of the Chinese community, NGO representatives, and surviving family members attended the memorial service.

Quek said that “When the British Ministry of Defence and Foreign and Commonwealth Office communicated their provisional refusal on 21 August, we were invited to make further representations before a final decision was made by them. Since then our lawyers have been seeking the documents on which the provisional decision was based, most of which are not in they public domain, so they can make those representations on an informed basis. That is only fair and reasonable. The response has been a combination of half hearted or partial disclosure along with delay and excuses for not disclosing the remainder. We have been severely handicapped by various hurdles which were imposed by the British government.”

郭義民：當年烏魯音居民冤死‧英國圖阻工委會索屠殺要件

新聞來源: 星洲日報, 2009年12月13日

(吉隆坡）追討英軍屠殺罪行工委會總協調郭義民指出，英國政府企圖拖延及不合理的阻擾死者家屬的律師，索取有關當年英軍屠殺烏魯音居民的重要文件。

他說，英國國防部及外交部在今年8月21日來函通知他們，初步拒絕成立公共調查委員會的決定後，但邀請他們在英政府未作最終決定前提呈進一步的陳述。

“當我們的律師要求索取影響初步決定的相關而尚未揭秘的文件時，英政府卻百般阻擾。”

追討英軍屠殺罪行工委會週六（12月12日）在英國駐馬最高專員署前舉辦一項悼念61年前的峇冬加里大屠殺的追思儀式，死者家屬手持受害者人頭照及黃色鮮花，高舉控訴英軍屠殺平民罪行布條。

共有約50人出席這項追思儀式，當中包括有朝野政黨領袖、華團與華青團領袖、死者家屬，還有《星洲日報》總主筆羅正文。

郭義民透露，英政府先前要求工委會要員、律師及已年邁的證人譚蓉保密承諾，但英國國防部卻只提供極少部份的檔案資料，而英國外交部更是食言，至今仍未得到它們的資料。

“至於極其關鍵的1970威廉報告書，死者家屬律師只被允許親自到英國警察總部翻閱檔案報告但不得影印任何文件。”

這些尚未揭秘的文件包括，中途被迫終止調查的1970年威廉偵緝總警司的報告、英國國防部與外交部的檔案資料，以及1993年英檢控署在英廣播電台（BBC）播放冷血屠殺紀錄片後的調查報告。

對尋求真相努力感擔憂

郭義民指出，他們對尋求真相的努力感到擔憂，因相關證人都因年邁相繼離世，若英政府繼續玩弄拖延伎倆，將導致正義難以伸張。