A witness testifying at the Suhakam public inquiry on the Juy 9 Bersih 2.0 rally asserted today that police fired teargas at the nearby Chinese Maternity Hospital in addition to using water cannon at the entrance to the Tung Shin Hospital.
Yap Jee Kit (left), who works as an aide to Selangor exco Elizabeth Wong, also said that he was physically assaulted and verbally abused by the police during his arrest.
Yap had walked from Brickfields to Menara Maybank at about noon on July 9, wearing the Bersih 2.0 yellow T-shirt.
Yap said while there, he also saw PKR’s Subang MP Sivarasa Rasiah being arrested while the latter was negotiating on behalf of the more than 5,000 people making up the crowd so they could move past the police blockade.
"There were many policemen on that day with Federal Reserve Unit (FRU). We were just gathering there shouting slogans when police gave warnings and fired tear gas and water cannon at Jalan Pudu.
"Sivarasa and several other politicians tried to negotiate with the police to allow the crowd to move but he was arrested," he said.
Affected by the tear gas, some of them decided to seek refuge in the compound of theTung Shin Hospital. That was when the police fired the water cannon at the entrance.
"I could see this happening clearly and a group of us went to the Chinese Maternity Hospital next to it.
"There, several of us formed a round wall while locking our arms with the person next to us to protect ourselves as police started to give warning.
“Several tear gas canisters were fired at the Chinese Maternity Hospital car park and the police started moving in," he said.
Yap's testimony on the fifth day of the public inquiry, contradicts the authorities' insistence that no tear gas had been fired at the Tung Shin hospital.
The police and Health Ministry had also initially denied that water cannon were launched into the hospital cmpound.
Following widely-circulated video evidence, however, they changed their stance accordingly.
'Go back to Singapore'
Yap added that while he was being held, along with other protesters, he heard some of the Malay protesters reciting somethings. Though he could not understand what they meant, he believed they were prayers, “and we stood our ground”.
"However, police moved in and lifted up my yellow Bersih t-shirt over my head. They hit a baton to my head, and I was kicked and punched for about 10 times," he said.
Yap said he did not resist arrest or retaliated to the police.
"I told them to stop kicking and assaulting me, and I said I was prepared to be arrested. But they continued to do so," he said.
Asked by the Suhakam commissioners on the panel, Yap said he cannot identify the policemen who had assaulted him or see anything else as his shirt was lifted over his head.
"I was immediately arrested but they did not tell why I was arrested," he said.
"As police used plastic handcuffed me, another officer who was passing by shouted at me, asking why I protested, and that if I was not satisfied, I should go back to Singapore," he said.
"However, I did not reply back. While waiting to board a police truck at Dataran Maybank, another officer whom I cannot identify also hurled abuses "Oi, you Chinese what are you still unsatisfied (Kamu Cina, apa lagi kamu tak puas hati)," he said.
Yap said after boarding the police truck, they were sent to the police training centre in Cheras.
[More to follow]
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