Ipoh lawyer slashed to death

IPOH: A lawyer was slashed to death by two masked men outside his Desa Rishah home.
In the 5pm incident on Tuesday, the two men are believed to have trailed G. Balasundram, 57, from his office and attacked him just as he reached his home.

He sustained 17 slash wounds to his abdomen and his thighs.
Balasundram, who specialised in civil cases, was sent to Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun for treatment by a neighbour who witnessed the incident.
Robbery has been ruled out as Balasundram’s belongings were not taken.
State CID chief Senior Asst Comm (II) Datuk Mohd Dzuraidi Ibrahim said the duo attacked Balasundram with Rambo knives.
“He died at 9.30pm after being treated at the hospital’s intensive care unit,” he said, adding that police were investigating the motive of the attack.
When met at the mortuary yesterday, Balasundram’s sister G. Kamala, 58, said the last time Bala­sundram spoke to the family was at 3pm on the day of the fatal attack.
“He called my mother to inform her that he was returning to her Pasir Pinji home,” she said, adding that Balasundram was the only son among six children.
Balasundram leaves behind wife G. Puspalatha, 46, and five-year-old son Somaskanthar.
Perak MIC chairman Datuk S. Veerasingam said the attack was “senseless”, adding that “the life of a good man has been snuffed out”.
Former Malaysian Bar president S. Theivanthiran said Balasundram had started out from humble beginnings, working as a canteen helper to put himself through law school.
“He was a friendly fellow and that is why everyone is in shock,” said Theivanthiran.
He added that Bala­sundram had been involved in several controversial cases, one of which was to represent a 10-year-old boy from Kam­par who was allegedly tortured by police while in custody for apparently stealing from his teacher.
Balasundram, he added, was also a legal adviser to Sungai Siput MP Dr D. Jeyakumar.
“He was an ardent supporter of Dr Jeyakumar and acted on behalf of Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) in several cases,” Theivanthiran said.
PSM deputy chairman M. Saraswathy said Balasundram’s death was a loss to the party and to blue-collared workers.
“He had been representing us in several cases since 1995 on a pro bono basis,” she added.