May He Be The Last: Theme Of Last Night Memorial For Beng Hock And 1804 Detainees Who Died Under Police Custody Since 2003...

Was Beng Hock the last?

Before the people can digest the news of Beng Hock's sudden demise, R. Gunasegaran, 31, became the next victim. He was assaulted at the time of the arrest and immediately upon being taken to the police station and never to regain consciousness thereafter.

But does it really matter who is the last here? This memorial is for all the 1805 who died while under police custody. It doesn't matter which crime they are involved or suspected to be involve in. Senseless police brutality must be Stopped! Period! What are our laws for?

1805 deaths in custody over 6 and half years is an alarming figure. That's equivalent to 3 deaths every 4 days. Only 60 odd deaths were identified. God knows what happened to the rest. Maybe some families were too poor to pursue the case further. Perhaps, many have no idea totally.

For us to stop all these, we can't afford to stay Silent anymore!

That was the reason some of us made it to the memorial last night.

So why were we there last night? Why can't we get on with our lives and simply forget about Beng Hock?

We saw the tears. We heard the tributes. We were at the funeral. We were watching from a distance. We listened carefully when Beng Hock's fiancee, Cher Wei, spoke her heart:

" You've left me without saying any last words. You've said we still have a lot of things to accomplish together; that we have not been to many places before. You said you will walk this life together with me."

Our hearts broke. Beng Hock is gone. This pain is for Real. This anger cannot be Ignored.

That was part of the memorial proceeding under a candlelight vigil which brought tears to many.

Many words have been spoken. A lot more need to be done. In order for all these senseless murder to be stopped, we need to rise and stand together for our voice to be heard. This choice is ours to make.

Yesterday, it was Beng Hock. Today, it is R Gunasegaran. Tomorrow, it could be Me.... You.... or just anyone else.

This senseless killing must be Stopped!

May He Be The Last