Foreign Affairs Minister Anifah Aman today said there is no necessity for outsiders to investigate the events of the Bersih 3.0 rally on April 28 that saw clashes between police and protesters.
"We are a sovereign nation. We are capable of doing our own impartial investigation and we have faith in the authorities and the police. For responsible Malaysians, I don't think this is an issue.
"We don't need someone to investigate what transpired in our country. We have seen it on television and there are people who were actually on the spot who witnessed what happened," he told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur this evening.
Anifah was responding to the offer by United Nations special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Frank William La Rue, to investigate the protest,which saw both police and protesters hurt.
"The government is going to appoint a panel to investigate, therefore I do not see the necessity. I mean, maybe it's possible, but I do not see the necessity for any outside organisation to determine whether we are free or fair," he added.
On a related matter, Anifah said the government has received a diplomatic note from the Saudi Arabian Embassy to advise Malaysian citizens not to participate in demonstrations in Saudi Arabia and to obey the local laws and norms.
"We are a sovereign nation. We are capable of doing our own impartial investigation and we have faith in the authorities and the police. For responsible Malaysians, I don't think this is an issue.
"We don't need someone to investigate what transpired in our country. We have seen it on television and there are people who were actually on the spot who witnessed what happened," he told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur this evening.
Anifah was responding to the offer by United Nations special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Frank William La Rue, to investigate the protest,which saw both police and protesters hurt.
"The government is going to appoint a panel to investigate, therefore I do not see the necessity. I mean, maybe it's possible, but I do not see the necessity for any outside organisation to determine whether we are free or fair," he added.
On a related matter, Anifah said the government has received a diplomatic note from the Saudi Arabian Embassy to advise Malaysian citizens not to participate in demonstrations in Saudi Arabia and to obey the local laws and norms.
'Malaysia will respect Saudi action against protesters'
He said the Bersih protests organised in Mecca and Medina has raised the Saudi government's concern, which might threaten Malaysia's quota for the performance of the haj in that country.
"It was an unwise decision on the part of the protesters... We will respect the actions of the Saudi government that will be taken against our Malaysian citizens (in the protest), under whatever law. We will give our full cooperation," he said.
On the three Indonesian workers shot dead by Malaysian police, Anifah said the bodies have been flown back to Indonesia, where autopsies were performed.
This, he said, was in light of a protest in front of the Malaysian Embassy in Indonesia over claims that the trio were killed for their organs to be harvested.
"The autopsies have proven that there was no theft of organs," Anifah said.
He added that he has been in contact with his Indonesian counterpart but did not issue a statement as "no amount of denials" would have pacified the group perpetrating the protest against Malaysia.
'Interview aggravates ties with Indonesia'
The minister also slammed the executive director of women’s and immigrants’ rights NGO Tenganita, Irene Fernandez, for her interview with the Indonesian newspaper Jakarta Post, in which she described Malaysia as unsafe for migrant workers.
"Clearly, her statement is irresponsible and only shows that she is ignorant to the efforts of cooperation between the Malaysian and Indonesian governments in human resource, especially in the intake of maids," he said.
The statement only served to aggravate diplomatic relations between the two countries, which have had a history of friction.
Generalisations based on isolated incidents of abuses against migrant workers are unfair, Anifah said.
"We are signatories to the Asean Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers (Cebu Declaration) 2007 and a member of the International Labour Organisation. We are committed to no discrimination against workers, including foreigners," he added.
He said the Bersih protests organised in Mecca and Medina has raised the Saudi government's concern, which might threaten Malaysia's quota for the performance of the haj in that country.
"It was an unwise decision on the part of the protesters... We will respect the actions of the Saudi government that will be taken against our Malaysian citizens (in the protest), under whatever law. We will give our full cooperation," he said.
On the three Indonesian workers shot dead by Malaysian police, Anifah said the bodies have been flown back to Indonesia, where autopsies were performed.
This, he said, was in light of a protest in front of the Malaysian Embassy in Indonesia over claims that the trio were killed for their organs to be harvested.
"The autopsies have proven that there was no theft of organs," Anifah said.
He added that he has been in contact with his Indonesian counterpart but did not issue a statement as "no amount of denials" would have pacified the group perpetrating the protest against Malaysia.
'Interview aggravates ties with Indonesia'
The minister also slammed the executive director of women’s and immigrants’ rights NGO Tenganita, Irene Fernandez, for her interview with the Indonesian newspaper Jakarta Post, in which she described Malaysia as unsafe for migrant workers.
"Clearly, her statement is irresponsible and only shows that she is ignorant to the efforts of cooperation between the Malaysian and Indonesian governments in human resource, especially in the intake of maids," he said.
The statement only served to aggravate diplomatic relations between the two countries, which have had a history of friction.
Generalisations based on isolated incidents of abuses against migrant workers are unfair, Anifah said.
"We are signatories to the Asean Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers (Cebu Declaration) 2007 and a member of the International Labour Organisation. We are committed to no discrimination against workers, including foreigners," he added.
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