Navy officer denies assaulting late cadet Soosaimanicckam during training

KUALA LUMPUR: A Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) officer denied in the Sessions Court here on Monday (Sept 9) that he sat on the late J. Soosaimanicckam’s stomach and slapped him repeatedly during a cadet training session at KD Sultan Idris, Lumut.

Lieutenant Abdul Ariff Abdul Halim, 29, refuted these allegations while being cross-examined by lawyer Zaid Malek, representing S. Joseph, the father of the deceased, in a lawsuit against 11 defendants, including Navy officers, the Navy chief, the Malaysian Armed Forces Council, the Defence Minister, and the Malaysian government.