Another Porn Star

No—I'm done talking about Joslyn James. This is not about that porn star—this is about another porn star, Dr PORNthip, the famous Thai forensic pathologist, the doctor who desperately needs a good advisor to deal with her unruly hair.

Now, I know this may be surprising, but apparently she's afraid for her life. Yes, even a person like her can be afraid for her life too, folks! She has decided not to testify in the Teoh Beng Hock's inquest in Malaysia because she claimed that she's been threatened. In response, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said that the excuse is considered illogical.

According to Hishammuddin:

"I had repeatedly assured her that she would get the best security, the police would do everything necessary to ensure her safety as soon as she arrives in this country until her return home. She would be fetched at the airport in a police vehicle before being taken to the tribunal and we would deploy members of the Special Action Unit (UTK) in her room. We will ensure that she returns home to Thailand safely."

Now I don't really know what the good doctor is up to. Is this something she came up with for the sake of becoming famous? Is she lying because she's being paid by some party for some ulterior motive? Well, I suppose everything is possible! Frankly, I don't know all the facts, and I doubt that all the facts will ever be known or made known to the public. But I'm just commenting on things, seeing them from the surface.

Dr Porn (you won't mind my addressing you as Porn, would you?) has a lot to gain if she testifies in the Beng Hock's inquest. Whether she will eventually testify for or against the powers that be, she's bound to be remembered, for better or worse, for a long time to come. She is likely to become more famous than she is now. And usually, though admittedly not always, money comes with fame. She may decide to write a book about this whole affair in the future, for example, and make a lot of money that way. Never mind if she's not gonna make anywhere close to the kind of money that Joslyn James can make. But on the other hand, she has something to lose also. Or at least might lose. And that is her precious life.

But is there any reason for her to fear for her life? Is it really illogical for her to be so afraid? It seems that Hishammuddin has given an air-tight guarantee for her safety, so there is the tendency to agree with Hisham that Porn's no-show at the inquest is illogical.

Unfortunately, in Malaysia, I feel it is not exactly illogical to fear for one's life if he is in Porn's shoes. I have said before that we have quite a number of cases of police brutalities. Prisoners are blindfolded and then beaten up to the extent of unconsciousness. Some of these prisoners lived to tell their tales, of course, but not all of them were so lucky. Whenever prisoners end up dead while they're in the legal custody of the police, people tend to raise many questions—what the hell happened, and how did it happen? And our police are not known to give very satisfactory answers judging by the reactions of the people who raised those questions.

And I would be even more fearful for my life with the mention of the fanciful name "Special Action Unit", because the more special they are, the more dangerous they are. I think it was one of those so-called special units' folks who brought an unarmed woman into the jungle not too long ago. There in the jungle, they shot her twice in her head before blowing her up into pieces. So much for assured protection from the Special Units.

I know Dr Porn looks like she's not a very intelligent woman because of her hair and all, but even a stupid person would, logically, be fearful for his or her life in such a situation. Well, except for Hishammuddin, of course.