A Taiping Prison inspector revealed that inmates at the facility were earning up to RM30,000 a month by selling contraband items smuggled inside their rectums.
Taiping Prison Inspector Ahmad Rizal Razali told the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) public inquiry into alleged human rights violations at the prison on Jan 17, 2025, that inmates were categorised as either “taxis” or “towkays”.
He alleged that the "towkays" were making between RM20,000 and RM30,000 a month selling contraband items – including drugs, tobacco, and mobile phones – and that some prison officials had been investigated for helping them.
Ahmad Rizal described Taiping Prison as the worst he had ever served in, and revealed that he was seeing a psychiatrist due to mental health struggles.
Suhakam’s assisting inquiry officer, Simon Karunagaram, questioned Ahmad Rizal, who said he was fearful due to the hardcore nature of the inmates and their blatant lack of respect for guards.
Simon: Have you experienced any problems in Taiping?
Ahmad Rizal: Since I was transferred here a year ago, I’ve been shocked by how hardcore the prisoners are compared to Kajang Prison, where I served for nine years. Here, they are constantly provoking guards and making threats.
Simon: Why is that so?
Ahmad Rizal: I work the body scanner and noticed many inmates were bringing in contraband. Some are “taxis” – they smuggle in the items. The “towkays” are the ones selling them. They provoke guards who find the items and threaten to lodge complaints with Suhakam, claiming their rights are being violated.
Inquiry panel member Dr Farah Nini Dusuki then asked if the items were smuggled in via the inmates’ rectums for sale and use. Ahmad Rizal confirmed this, adding that the “towkays” earned RM20,000-RM30,000 monthly and were unafraid to confront guards.
Simon: These inmates come from quarantine. How do they get these items? From inside or outside?
Ahmad Rizal: I’m not sure.
Simon: They go from prison to court to here. How do they obtain them?
Ahmad Rizal: I don’t want to accuse anyone.
Ahmad Rizal later admitted that some prison officials had been investigated for assisting inmates, but the cases were dropped due to lack of evidence.
He also revealed he was on two types of medication for depression, and submitted two medical letters as proof. He suggested this might be one of the reasons he was transferred to the Kamunting Correctional Centre after the Jan 17 incident.
During the inquiry, Ahmad Rizal and another witness, Sergeant Saiful Azman Mohamad Ibrahim, gave conflicting accounts of who had invited them to view the classified closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the Jan 17 incident.
On Tuesday, another prison inspector, Muhamad Mustakhim Abdul Rahim, testified that all five witnesses scheduled to give evidence this week had received permission from Taiping Prison deputy director Shahrul Izzat Hamid to view the footage.
However, Saiful Azman said it was Mustakhim who had asked him to attend, while Ahmad Rizal said it was his supervisor, identified only as “Hasbi”, who had instructed him to do so. Both Ahmad Rizal and Saiful Azman admitted to taking part in the beatings of inmates on Jan 17.
Initially reluctant to share further details, Ahmad Rizal confirmed only that Hasbi told him to watch the footage. When asked to read out a WhatsApp message from Hasbi to verify the date and time, he became combative and insisted it was his personal phone.
As his agitation grew, he requested a 10-minute break to take his medication. After the break, he disclosed that Hasbi had messaged him via WhatApp on the evening of July 20, instructing him to be present at the prison between 10am and 10.30am on July 21.
When asked who else was present during the viewing, Ahmad Rizal initially said it was only the five witnesses but later admitted an officer from the integrated electric control system played the footage. He also confirmed Hasbi spoke to the group briefly before the viewing.
On Jan 25, Twentytwo13 reported that inmate Gan Chin Eng, 62, had died from abdominal injuries caused by blunt trauma in the Jan 17 incident. He was among 104 detainees transferred from the Batu Gajah Correctional Facility to Taiping Prison on Jan 16.
The inquiry continues tomorrow at Suhakam's headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.
