Police bully PSM: 30 members nabbed for 'waging war' against King

Police have accused Parti Sosialis Malaysia of hiding behind the Bersih 2.0 rally to rekindle 'communist ideology', referring to the arrest of Sungai Siput MP Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj and 30 other activists at Sungai Dua toll plaza a day ago.

"They were carrrying items inciting the people to hate the government. This is serious and can threaten national security," Penang deputy police chief Abdul Rahim Jaafar told reporters on Sunday.

The police also seized various items associated with the Malayan Communist Party ideology from the activists, who were travelling from Sungai Petani, Kedah to Penang, he added to back up his allegations.

"They include flyers and t-shirts with Chin Peng, Rashid Maidin and Suriani Abdullah - all connected to MCP - written on them," Abdul Rahim said.

A t-shirt does not a communist make

His comments sparked an immediate uproar. Of late, Prime Minister Najib's government has come under fire for intimidating and 'bullying' ways, detaining people who wore the Bersih t-shirt to promote a July 9 rally calling for free and fair election.

On Sunday, more than 70 activists were also nabbed by the police, as the Najib administration resorted to strong arm tactics to deter the people from attending the Bersih 2.0 rally.

However, gauging from another peaceful walk in Najib's own home-state of Pahang, where 1,000 Kuantan folk assembled to protest the establishment of a rare earth plant, the PM will end up the loser if he does not accept the reality that Malaysian society wanted reform.

"Is the Penang police saying, if I wear a Mao Tse Tung t-shirt, I am also a communist. This is an outright act of bullying PSM members," PKR vice president Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.

"What is happening is that the BN has no case. They cannot defend, so they are using all sorts of silliest excuses and this makes the people even angrier. Like the Bersih yellow t-shirt. Yellow is the colour of the Agong. How can the police simply arrest people just for wearing yellow? They are making real fools of themselves."

Gunning for PAS, PKR members

Meanwhile, Rahim said the 30 activists, who like Michael are PSM members, were aged between 18 and 64 year.

They were remanded to facilitate investigation into the case Section 122 of Penal Code for waging war on Yang diPertuan Agong.

In the latest development in Kuala Lumpur, police have detained another eight men for wearing yellow t-shirts with 'Bersih 2.0' written in Jawi at Taman Kosas, Ampang.

"They were also found to have disrupted public order while riding on their motorcycles in the area. It was the reason for their arrest," Bernama reported Ampang Jaya Police Chief ACP Amiruddin Jamaluddin as saying.

Amiruddin said they were being detained at the Ampang police station and police would release them after recording statements from them.

The eight, aged between 20 and 40, are believed to be supporters of opposition parties, most likeLY PAS or PKR members They were detained at 11am in front of the Taman Kosas mosque.

- Malaysia Chronicle