Baginda is now described as "assisting the police in their investigation" along
with three Malaysian police personnel including a corporal and a woman
detective from the Special Action Force or SAF, who is part of a pool used to
guard VIPs and other dignitaries. All have been remanded to custody.
One of the most accessible and quotable of local analysts, Baginda is a
frequent source for journalists because of his ties to Najib Abdul Razak, the
deputy prime minister and long time defense minister. Razak even wrote the
forward to "Malaysia and the Islamic World" a book edited by Baginda and
published in 2004. For more than a decade Baginda has been the executive
director of the Malaysia Strategic Research Institute, which is technically a
private think-tank but has close connections to the Malaysian armed forces and
the United Malays National Organisation, the largest party in the ruling
coalition.
According to news reports, Shaaribuu found out where Baginda lived, but she
never got to see him. Police say she did receive a phone call to meet him on
Oct. 29. But according to news reports she was seized by several individuals,
pushed into a car and driven away, never to be seen again.
When she did not return to her hotel, the sister and cousin lodged reports with
the police, and eventually with the Mongolian honorary consul. Ultimately, a
task force of 40 police officers was assembled to put together the
circumstances that led the woman to visit Baginda's house, and whether he had
summoned the three police officers to take her away.
Local news reports also indicated that police are investigating where the model
and Baginda first met and whether they had had a sexual relationship. Musa
Hassan, the inspector general of police, said he is asking for a thorough
investigation and promised that there will be no cover-up.
"Whoever is involved will be brought to book regardless of his stature," Musa
told reporters. "I am also going to find out how and who authorized the
issuance of the explosives used in the murder."
Copyright 2006, Asia Sentinel
