BN supporters disrupt Teluk Intan DAP ceramah

Teluk Intan MP M Manogaran had to be escorted out of a DAP ceramah session in Teluk Intan town centre by police last night after a group of BN supporters disrupted the event.

Eyewitnesses said the intruders, numbering around 40, gatecrashed the function and hurled abuses at the Pakatan Rakyat leaders and supporters.

Following this, the police urged both BN and Pakatan supporters to disperse, citing security concerns.

However, with some of the BN supporters lingering around the venue, the police escorted Manogaran (right) out and about 4km east from Teluk Intan town to ensure his safety.

When contacted today, Manogaran said the police could have handled the situation better and dealt firmly with the BN supporters, who were clearly the aggressors.

"We were there lawfully and the police should have handled the intruders, but they were outnumbered and unprepared," Manogaran said.

However, he commended Hilir Perak district police chief Goh Kok Liang for being at the scene and being very proactive in engaging with both groups.

Racist taunts from the BN youths

Manogaran said that the BN supporters were mainly youths, some in their teens, who arrived in a lorry and carrying long bamboo poles with BN flags attached.

"They were very thuggish and made racist statements to provoke the mostly Chinese and Indian crowd.

"Among other things that they chanted was that Teluk Intan was 'Malay land' and that we should get out," he said.

Manogaran said this was the first time that a DAP event in the area had been disrupted.

Pasir Pedamar assemblyperson Seah Leong Peng, who organised the ceramah, said the Pakatan supporters at the event - numbering at about 1,000 - were very angry with the disruption, but were well-behaved.

"They were also angry that the police had asked us to stop the ceramah and so they held a sit-in protest for about 30 minutes," added Seah, who lodged a police report on the incident today.