Of all the scenes that captured the police brutality againts peaceful protesters at the Hindraf rally last Sunday at Kuala Lumpur - the one that stays etched in my mind and evokes the most anger is this scene that played out before dawn at the Batu Caves Sri Subramaniar temple which was informed by Temple head to Police.
At 4am, the Sunday morning of the Hindraf rally, police had arrested Indians sleeping inside the Batu Caves temple. Jeff Ooi of Screenshots has the story of what took place at Batu Caves that pre-dawn morning on his website – all captured in a series of 23 photographs that tell its own story. I have reproduced thumbnail versions of some below:
Not content with setting up roadblock to prevent any Indian motorist from entering Kuala Lumpur city centre the the day before the Hindraf rally [can anyone say - racial profiling?], the police and FRU descended on Batu Caves early Sunday morning to prevent the people gathered at the temple from attending the Hindraf rally at the city centre. The people were sleeping at the temple, seeking shelter when the police and FRU came loudly knocking at the temple gates.
How would you feel if a police man came knocking at your door in the middle of the night to arrest you? And this is a temple – oh God – how insensitive can the police be – How would you feel if you were seeking shelter in a mosque or a church or a temple and they came for you there?
And here’s the biggest poser – what had you done wrong that hundreds of policemen would come for you with their big riot shields, black batons, tear guns and water cannons? Are you a danger to the public? Have you murdered someone? Hurt someone? Stolen from someone?
NO! Why were you all gathered in the temple? I was praying. I was seeking shelter. I was sleeping.
Is this all a crime? NO!
I am looking for a crime commited in the photographs – is holding a lot of Gandhi pictures with the caption “We Want Our Rights” a crime? Is assembling peacefully a crime? Only in Bolehland, I say!
It is a right of every Malaysian granted under Article 10 of the Federal Constitusion to assemble peaceably and without arms. But I have this to say - this is a temple where people gather to pray – is any gathering in a house of worship an illegal assembly?
Oh – and did you see any arms/weapons being carried by the people assembled peacefully in all the photos? I tried really hard to see – but all I saw were a lot more Gandhi pictures – and Gandhi-ji will never offer violence to any
The people were prevented from leaving the temple compound. There were all forcibly herded back into the temple compound and the gates were closed locking all in.
Oh – would you just look how eveyone is smiling and waving behind the gate? Does that look like a violent crowd to you? My I can see why the police feels so threatened by this crowd that is locked behind a vast impenetrable gate. So threatened in fact – that they would do this
The SHEER COWARDISE of the police. To do this to people that offer no resistance! What provocation could you see was being offered to the police? Look at the pictures – judge for yourselves!
But more than anything else – what gets me the most is that they would treat their fellow man in such a manner. The indignity of it. To herd people in like ‘lembu dalam kandang’ with big batons and riot sheilds and then not content with that – abuse a passive crowd with tear gas and acid rain. This is a sheer violation of human rights!
This country has turned into a police state! How can we let our government do this to us? I am so hopping mad! This is WRONG! THIS IS WRONG! I am standing and shouting over here – THIS IS SO WRONG!
The aftermath …
How heartened I was that people remember Malaysian Indian of non-violent civil disobedience. That crowd cornered by hundreds of FRU and police attacked and Indians did not react on the violence directed at them. It is the Indians in Malaysia that make me proud to be Malaysian.
The wound is still burning In Indian's heart!!!
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1 comments:
We will never forget,Lord Murugan is teaching them lesson.....The whole civilization is from us.......
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