Hooded witnesses?

The Malay Mail Online - Court mulls allowing witnesses to testify anonymously against terrorism suspects

KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 — The High Court here will decide if five prosecution witnesses testifying against two local terrorism suspects can keep their identities secret and provide evidence anonymously.

Lead prosecutor Datuk Mohamad Hanafiah Zakaria applied today for the court to determine if a list of five witnesses could fall under the “protected witnesses” category.

He cited Section 14 of the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) — the law under which the two suspects Yazid Sufaat and Muhammad Hilmi Hasim are detained under.

Hey kawan, the two suspects are just that, two SUSPECTS!

Last I recall, the laws of the land, our Malaysia, say they are innocent until proven guilty.

In the old days, the way to get around detaining communist terrorists without proving their guilt was invented by the Brits and sweetly adopted by us, namely the ISA!

Subsequently those hypocrite Yanks from the "land of due process & fair trial", as we (in particular sweetie Rafidah Abdul Aziz) were so dismissively informed by its former Secretary of State (equivalent of Foreign Minister) Madeleine Albright, adopted the same laws to detain Islamist militants without "due process nor trial", some of whom were f**king innocent.

Australia suffered two such innocents at the hands of those Yanks, one being a Caucasian Australian-born and another, a Pakistani-born Australian. Both were subsequently released after years in detention.

I believe the Paki-born bloke was compensated, but oh, the horrors he suffered while in Yankee detention or rather in "extraordinary rendition" which saw him first in Paki detention"etc" and subsequently in Egyptian detention "etc" (focus on those horrendous "etc"), without enjoying any of Madame Albright's boasted "due process & fair trial". Could any financial compensation be ever enough for his ordeals?

Podah Madame.

Okay, let us revisit two words from the Malay Mail Online report, to wit:

(i) 'suspects' as in 'terrorism suspects' (I wonder why 'terrorism suspects' and not 'terrorist suspects'?) and

(ii) 'anonymously' as in 'five prosecution witnesses testifying against two local terrorism suspects can keep their identities secret and provide evidence anonymously'.

What immediately sprung to my mind were images of terrifying stories about the Japanese occupation which my mum and uncles told me, when their village were terrorized (excuse the pun) by such 'anonymous' collaborators of the Japanese occupiers.

no exemption for women or babes

Each of those quislings would have their identities kept secret by wearing a bag-like hood over their heads except for their eyes but which were shielded by a gauze mask, as they stood beside their Japanese master.

no exemption for kids

To root out Kuomintang or even British spies and supporters, the Jap Overlords would have the unfortunate villagers marched slowly past the hooded quisling. One f* nod from the quisling at a villager doomed that person to horrendous torture as a Kuomintang or British spy or supporter, or if he/she was lucky enough, to immediate decapitation.

no exemption for the sick

Consider a scenario which my Uncs informed me was NOT uncommon - Ah Chong was the hooded quisling who had the hots for the village belle Swee Lan but alas for our infatuated ar$eh*le, Swee Lan loved Kaytee.

no exemption for the guiltless

Thus, when Kaytee walked past the hooded man (Ah Chong), gulp, he was doomed by just a nod from a jealous competitor. The Japs didn't ask questions as that's too time-wasting. Besides, those wartime Japs weren't into Madame Albright's "due process & fair trial".

no exemption for toddlers

They went straight for the jugular, yes sir, into their favourite wartime hobby in the colonies, namely, putting to practice tortures of unbelievable, unimaginable and unexpected dimensions, or if they were bored, immediate lopping off of poor Kaytee's head.

no exemption for the already dead

Consider another likely scenario - Ah Chong the hooded quisling owed Kaytee 500 Straits dollars, a fortune in those days. One nod or two and all of Ah Chong's debts would be solved, as would be those of a very dead Kaytee.

no exemption for human dignity

Let's not bring back those hooded witnesses or informers.