MORE BRICKBATS for Hisham, cops for handcuffing teens like common criminals

Home minister Hishamuddin Hussein has been urged to apologise over the police's treatment of youngsters during their recent arrest for stepping on pictures of the prime minister during the Janji Demokrasi protest on August 30.

DAP secretary general Lim Guan Eng said such harsh and heavy-handed treatment was not the case when BN leaders were charged for corruption.

"Malaysians are outraged by the handcuffs placed on the kids which included 19 year-old girl who voluntarily surrendered. Handcuffs are not usually required unless the accused is violent, or has committed a crime of violence, or may attempt to escape.

"In this case, handcuffing a young girl who had voluntarily surrendered is nothing but an abuse of power and an act of humiliation," said Lim.

Earlier, 19-year old Ong Sing Yee was arrested at a Johor police station when she surrendered herself after the police launched a witchhunt of those who had stepped on pictures of Najib Razak on the eve of Merdeka at Dataran Merdeka.

Ong was later handcuffed, attracting condemnations from the public who said she was being treated like a criminal over a petty offence.

Lim called on Najib to accept the youngsters' apology for their action, and "stop the high-handed and severe punishment of them as if they had committed some heinous crime of murder, armed robbery and rape".

Kuala Lumpur police chief Mohamad Salleh earlier defended the police action, describing it as "mild".

Lim said such a statement was insensitive and irresponsible, and questioned why "BN leaders were given special treatment and not handcuffed in the back when they were charged for corruption or cheating the public".

"By allowing such stern action, Hishamuddin practices double standards as no action was taken against those who behaved in a similar manner against Bersih co-Chair Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan when her picture was burnt and her dignity assaulted by a 'butt-dance' performance as well as a 'burger protest' in which beef burgers were grilled outside her private residence despite the fact that she is known to be a Hindu and a vegetarian," said Lim, referring to mobs appearing outside the home of the former Bar Council chairperson.

Lim further reminded that several noisy protests including one in which his picture was stepped on and another where mock funeral rites were performed, had not been met by any police action against the organisers.

-Harakahdaily