The note in Chinese (right) and the translation.
Court interpreter Tin Chin Kin said she translated the note from Chinese to Malay.
Among others, the translation reads: "Mereka telah mengambil semua komputer itu. Mereka asyik menyalahkan kamu. Minta maaf. Tidak mengerti tapi pura-pura mengerti, akhirnya menyusahkan kamu. Saya tidak dapat membantu kamu, maaf. Minta maaf, saya sangat penat, selamat tinggal."
(They took all the computers. They kept on blaming you. Sorry. Can't understand but pretend to understand, in the end it bothers you. I cannot help you, sorry. Sorry, I am very tired, goodbye.)
Tin said that on Sept 4 she received a directive from the coroner to translate the note which was written on a piece of A4 paper, and had never divulged the information to anyone.
Asked by lawyer Gobind Singh Deo, representing Teoh's family, whether she had experience in translation, Tin, 23, who started to work nearly a year ago, replied, "No".
Gobind disputed Tin's translation concerning the word "goodbye" and produced two dictionaries. He then asked Tin to read the translation from the dictionaries, to which Tin said it meant "jumpa lagi (see you again)".
However, she said that searches on Google revealed that the word actually meant "goodbye" and that it could also be translated to "see you again".
Earlier, investigating officer ASP Ahmad Nazri Zainal told the court that he found the note three months after Teoh's death.
He added that he was earlier advised by Permai Hospital consultant forensic psychiatry Dr Badi'ah Yahya to look for any notes.
"On Oct 7, 2009, at about 3pm while I was in office, I contacted Dr Badi'ah on things which should be considered from the psychological point of view. She told me that normally in a suicide case, there would be a letter or a note. She asked me to check if Teoh left any notes.
"At that time I was also contacted by (Deputy Public Prosecutor) (Mohamad) Abazafree and he told me I would be called in to testify.
"I then checked the bag and Teoh's belongings and it was at that time that I found a handwritten note and remembered what Dr Badi'ah told me.
"Then I called a friend to translate it. I took the note because I was suspicious about it," he said.
Ahmad Nazri said that following the note's discovery, he contacted his superior and was asked to get samples of Teoh's handwriting for comparison.
He said that attempts to obtain the samples from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, where Teoh previously studied, and at his rented home were unsuccessful because Teoh's belongings were no longer kept there.
He said that for the purpose of comparison at the Chemistry Department, he had taken several documents from the bag including a notebook, an envelop on which Chinese characters were written, and the copy of Teoh's statement with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
When asked by Gobind whether he had verified the owner of the handwriting on the note, Ahmad Nazri said there was no verification done.
Earlier, Ahmad Nazri said he was handed over the sling bag by an MACC officer and that he made notes of its content such as a wallet, bank card, cash and several documents concerning meetings attended by Teoh.
He said he did not indicate the presence of the note at that time and only checked on it three month later on Oct 7 because he initially thought it was not important.
Describing the conditions of Teoh's body when he first saw it, Ahmad Nazri said it was lying down on the side and that his pants were torn.
He had also gone up to the MACC office and looked at the condition of the window, which was open, and found that the latch was broken.
He said that from that vantage he could see that position of Teoh's body was aligned with the direction of the open window.
Teoh, 30, the political aide of a Selangor executive councillor was found dead on the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam here on July 16 last year, a day after giving a statement at the MACC office located on the 14th floor of the same building.
The inquest before Coroner Azmil Muntapha Abas resumes on Oct 14.
MI21/09/10
No comments:
Post a Comment