IPOH: A grieving mother is urging the police to conduct a thorough investigation into the death of her 22-year-old son, who died while undergoing Reserve Officer Training Unit (Palapes) training in Ulu Tiram, Johor, on Monday (July 28).
Teacher Ummu Haiman Bee Daulatgun, 45, from Semenyih, Selangor, said she was informed of her son’s death by a university lecturer, who told her that he had suffered a seizure.
However, upon arriving at the Kota Tinggi Hospital that same day, she said she found suspicious injuries on her son’s body.
“There were bruises on his body, and blood was coming from his nose, eyes, and neck,” she told reporters at a press conference on Friday (Aug 1), held at the office of her lawyer, Datuk Naran Singh.
“The injuries didn’t appear to be the result of a seizure. The bruises looked like he had been assaulted. I was not satisfied with the explanation I received,” she said, adding that she had requested a post-mortem be conducted at Sultan Ismail Hospital.
Her son, Syamsul Haris Shamsudin, had been scheduled to complete the training programme from June 27 to Aug 3.
“I last spoke to him on Sunday (July 27). He told me the training was going well and reminded me to take care of myself,” said the single mother, adding that she lodged a police report in Kajang on Thursday.
She also claimed that blood was still oozing from her son’s nose and neck during the burial.
“The cause of death is still listed as pending investigation. Blood samples have been taken for further analysis, which may take up to three months,” she said.
Her lawyer, Datuk Naran Singh, said he would write to the police urging them to expedite the investigation.
“This is a serious matter and we are calling on the authorities to treat it with urgency,” he said.
However, Bernama reported that the post-mortem showed no evidence of criminal element, according to Kota Tinggi OCPD Supt Yusof Othman.
This is the second Palapes trainee death in the past year, with the death of Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) student Muhammad Amir Rusyaidi, 26, during a Public University Reserve Officer Training Unit (Palapes) exercise at the Shah Alam campus on Nov 13, 2024.
Selangor police chief Comm Datuk Hussein Omar Khan had said on Jan 3 that no criminal element was found following an investigation that involved recording the statements of 64 people.
"The investigation classified as a sudden death report (SDR) was referred to the deputy public prosecutor and it was determined there was no offence committed by any party.
"The victim died because of heat stroke with multiple organ failure," he told a press conference at the Selangor police headquarters on Jan 3.
