A peaceful candlelight vigil of mainly Pakatan Rakyat MP’s, assemblymen and supporters in PJ New Town last night turned ugly when riot police hauled up 24 people for ignoring their calls to disperse.
Among those arrested were PJ Utara MP Tony Pua, Selangor state exco member Ronnie Liu and Kampung Tunku assemblyman Lau Weng San.
Online news portal Malaysiakini’s videographer Syukri Mohammad, 28, who was covering the event, was also detained.
The group of about 200 people had earlier gathered at the Timur field opposite Amcorp Mall about 9pm to commemorate the first anniversary of the mass protest by the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) where tens of thousand people march to the Istana Negara to hand over a memorandum. Last night’s gathering was also to call for the abolition of the Internal Security Act.
Police who were at the scene ordered the group to disperse and the gatherers left the place but congregated at the Amcorp Mall.
About 30 minutes later, they marched from the mall towards the Civic Centre where they stopped and began making speeches.
It is learnt controversial weblog Malaysia-today’s webmaster Raja Petra Kamarudin, who was released from detention under the ISA on Friday, was giving his speech when police, including members of the Light Strike Force, charged at the crowd and began detaining them. Those arrested were taken to the district police headquarters.
By 11pm at least 150 people, including Ipoh Timur MP Lim Kit Siang, Seputeh MP Teresa Kok, Puchong MP Gobind Singh and other Pakatan Rakyat big wigs had gathered outside the police headquarters.
Police also called for the Federal Reserve Unit which arrived in several buses and closed roads within a 500m radius leading to the police headquarters.
Lim, who rushed over from Ipoh on hearing the arrests, condemned the high-handedness of the police and demanded the release of those detained.
At about 1am, Selangor police chief DCP Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar, who was at the police headquarters, told reporters the group had been gathering at the Timur field for four consecutive weekends despite being warned not to do so or alternatively to apply for a police permit if they intend to do so.
He denied police were high-handed in dispersing the group.
Charles Ramendran
The Sun
10/11/08
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