By Osmond Mah | Free Malaysia Today
A technician, whose 27-year old son is being imprisoned in Cambodia for a drug trafficking offence, is turning to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) to help secure his release.
“I hope that with AICHR’s assistance this time, the results will be more encouraging and be in our favour,” M. Karthigesu told a press conference today.
Karthigesu’s son, Hemakavin, was allegedly duped by a drug trafficking syndicate when he went to Phnom Penh in 2016 before being arrested by police at a hotel there.
He was sentenced to 25 years in prison by a Cambodian court and fined RM45,000.
Since then, Karthigesu has appealed to various parties, including the Malaysian government, to save his son.
In November last year, Wisma Putra said a royal pardon may be considered for Hemakavin once he has served 20 years or more of his sentence.
And even then, the sentence can only be reduced by a third of the jail term.
With the help of rights group Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM), Karthigesu is hoping that AICHR will appeal for a royal pardon for his sentence to be reduced or be freed.
SUARAM Executive Director Sevan Doraisamy said Hemakavin was only a teenager when he was arrested.
“He deserves a second chance,” he said.
“AICHR should persuade the Cambodian government to take part in the International Prisoner Transfer Programme to facilitate Hemakavin’s return.”
Sevan handed a memorandum to AICHR’s Malaysian representative Edmund Bon today.
Bon said the commission will look at Hemakavin’s case “comprehensively and thoroughly”.
“We will immediately try to start bilateral discussions with Cambodia on options,” he said.
He said the internal democratic judicial processes in each Southeast Asian country had to be respected.