‘Barbed wire used meant for war zones’

The barbed wire used at the Bersih 3 rally is not suitable to be used against the public, an army veteran told Suhakam today.

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KUALA LUMPUR: Some of the barbed wire used to cordon off Dataran Merdeka during the Bersih 3.0 rally on April 28 is normally only used in instances of high conflict and not to cordon off the public.

Former army man Khairul Anuar Pawanchik said that the barbed wire – known as razor blade barbed concertina wire – should not have been used in the first place.

He told this to the Suhakam public inquiry panel investigating human rights abuse during the rally.

“The army usually uses them for defence against the enemy. It is used to delay or slow down the enemy. It is not supposed to be used against the public or on the road.

“It is usually used in war zones and prison walls…I think it should not be used at all,” he said.

Khairul, 60, who served as a volunteer for the Red Crescent Society during the rally, said that he saw a Chinese male with a bleeding ear during the rally at around 6pm that day. Khairul, however, was not able to give assistance to the injured man.

He said that he verified the kind of barbed wire used during the rally when he passed by Dataran Merdeka after the rally had ended.

He added that the razor wire may look deceptively soft but it was hard in structure. He said this kind of barbed wire was made out of similar substance used to make minor-surgery equipment.

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