He has showed you, O man, what is good.
       And what does the LORD require of you?
       To act justly and to love mercy
       and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6: 8, NIV) 

Dr. Pornthip Rojanasunam

(Photo courtesy of Malaysia Today)

Teoh Beng Hock’s (TBH) inquest was heard in court on Aug 18th, and much attention has focused on Dr. Pornthip Rojanasunan, the Thai pathologist engaged by the Selangor government on behalf of the family of TBH.  Teoh, a former political aide to Seri Kembangan assemblyman and Selangor exco Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead on the rooftop of the 5th floor of Plaza Masalam on July 16 2009. He had been questioned by MACC officers at their Selangor headquarters over alleged misuse of allocations by several Pakatan Rakyat assemblymen.

Pornthip’s earlier 80% homicide theory of Teoh’s COD (cause of death) has been tossed about in rival papers, just as much as it was argued in court, I suppose. Web commenters are legion out there too. Everyone wants to get into the fray in this very high profile investigation. Dr. Pornthip’s expert views have been long hoped-for and anticipated by many Malaysians. There was earlier uncertainty too whether she would testify in Malaysia, since there had been talk of harassment. But yesterday settled all that. Dr. Pornthip arrived in court, dressed as we all expected, in true (s-)punky rock costume with flashy accessories and a head of dramatically-coloured hair!

Of course, the MACC hired its own forensic expert as well, Dr. Peter Vanezis of the UK (of Lady Diana fame). Both pathologists gave opposing interpretations of the fall resulting in death (Was TBH conscious? Was he unconscious?), which is why things are hotting up this side of the globe.

At the inquest, what stood out during Pornthip’s examination by Deputy public prosecutor Datuk Abdul Razak Musa for the MACC, was the raison d’etre of her vocation: she speaks for the dead who have no voice and no recourse to justice. Dr. Pornthip is the director general of the Thai Central Institute of Forensic Science, which comes under the Thai Ministry of Justice. Just google her name and you will find an impressive list of things she has been up to in Thailand. From her forensic involvement in the 2006 tsunami that hit Thailand’s Phuket Island to investigations into so-called suicides of Thai politicians, Dr. Pornthip has maintained a level of independence and integrity that few people have courage to demonstrate. Frequently at odds with the Thai police, Dr. Pornthip has made a name for herself by insisting on the application of forensic science and objective evidence in homicide and/or suicide cases rather than just circumstantial evidence.

She has been dubbed “Dr. Death” in Thailand, meaning that her closest associations are with those she “defends” and gives voice to: the dead. Her autopsies are often battlegrounds for truth and justice as she determines the COD of victims and uncompromisingly goes public with it. She has made such an impact (not always desired) that National Geographic Channel filmed a documentary of her life and work. Unconventional in appearance and attitude, Dr. Pornthip stands for both a respect for those who have unjustifiably died and an unmoving conviction that the truth must always be told and upheld, at all costs.

Dr. Pornthip is a devout Buddhist. Her motivation in her work comes from what she believes the dead have asked her to do: speak for them, and bring forensic science in as the yardstick of murder/suicide investigations. She cannot rest till she feels she has done that. Her standards are high as they are without compromise, regardless of what her critics say of her. I couldn’t help but think that Micah 6: 8, which spells out as clearly as we can read God’s moral requirements of us as individuals and a society, describes her to a T. I wonder which of us, who own familiarity with that scripture, can truly say that we live and speak for justice and truth with at least that same unshakable conviction?

TBH faced a tragic and untimely death. Perhaps in the ways of the unseen eternal, God has worked out that a wiry and flame-haired Thai lady would be the one to raise questions and doubts enough for complacent Malaysians to say we want a fairer judiciary, an independent anti-corruption bureau and a better police force. Far be it from me to even suggest that Dr. Pornthip is right in every particular and others wrong, but I’m delighted and encouraged to see that it is an Asian, and a woman at that, who has felt the burden for justice where others have closed their eyes.

Micah 6: 8 reverberates with us in these uncertain days … God’s standards have not changed. His eyes still run to and fro, looking to test the ways of man.