By V. Sivaji
Veteran journalist Dato Arulldas Sinnappan officially launched his powerful book, Mass Graves: Uncovering the Killing Fields, during a solemn ceremony held at The Light Hotel, Penang.
The ceremony was graced by YB Dato’ Seri Sundarajoo Somu who is also the Penang State Exco for Housing and Environment.
Also present was Tan Sri Ramesh ( Managing Director Light Hotel Penang), Ms Kasthuri Patto (former MP), Dato Dr Sundramoorthy (USM Criminologist), Dato Seri Dr Anwar Fazal among others.
In his opening address, Rajoo said that It is both a solemn honour and a deep responsibility to stand before guests at the launch of a book that documents one of the darkest and most painful chapters in our nation’s history.
“Mass Graves: Uncovering the Killing Fields of Wang Kelian is not an ordinary book. It is a reckoning. It is a mirror. It is a voice for the voiceless whose final cries were buried beneath the soil of Wang Kelian.
“This book takes us beyond headlines. It walks us into the jungle, into the remnants of torture camps, into the mass graves where human dignity was stripped away, and into the silence that followed.
“What Dato S. Arulldas has done through this publication is not just journalism, it is the pursuit of truth against fear, and justice against forgetfulness. He has held a torch into the shadows of bureaucracy, power, and impunity—and dared to ask: How did this happen on Malaysian soil?,” he said.
He added that the victims of Wang Kelian were not collateral damage. They were sons and daughters, dreamers and survivors betrayed by a system that should have protected them.
“This book is not an accusation. It is an invitation to investigate deeper, to legislate better, to govern more justly.
“The role of the state is not only to develop infrastructure, but to uphold human dignity. Our policies must protect not only our people but also the most vulnerable who cross our borders in desperation, seeking refuge and safety.
“We must strengthen our enforcement, build stronger cross border cooperation, and ensure that no official no matter how powerful—is ever above scrutiny.
“To Dato S. Arulldas, this nation owes you a debt of gratitude. You have done what many would not dare to do. You have risked your safety for the truth, and in doing so, you have brought light to one of Malaysia’s darkest places,: added Rajoo.
Other guests at the ceremony were Adrian Pereira (North-South Initiative), Tengku Mohamed Fauzi Tengku Abdul Hamid (Vice Chairman of Human Rights Commission Malaysia or (SUHAKAM) among friends and relatives.