'Police harassing those filing reports on indelible ink'

Several people who lodged police reports over the easily washable indelible ink used in the 13th general election have been subjected to harassment and intimidation by the police, PKR Youth says.

The photographs of the complainants were taken and they were also questioned as to whether they were paid to lodge their reports, PKR Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin told a press conference today.

Shamsul Iskandar (left) said such action on the part of the police constituted harassment, since there was no cause at all for the pictures of the complainants to be taken.

"I want to ask the new inspector-general of police (Khalid Abu Bakar) and Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi whether this will be the standard procedure for the authorities to take pictures of complainants, up close," asked Shamsul Iskandar, who is also a lawyer.

"Such a practice (of intimidation) should stop as this is a violation of the due process of the law."

PKR embarked on a nationwide campaign yesterday, asking people with complaints that the indelible ink used in the May 5 general election can be washed off easily to file police reports. They have been asked to do this within a week.

PKR de-facto leader Anwar Ibrahim lodged a police report on this matter yesterday.

Rightfully, Shamsul Iskandar, who is the newly elected MP for Bukit Katil, said the police should just accept the reports filed and investigate them, not harass or scare complainants by taking their pictures.

"Ten complainants in Gombak were subjected to having their pictures taken and in Hulu Klang, there were four," said the PKR Youth chief.

Shamsul Iskandar said this action by the police was a strange move and in some places, the complainants were also questioned by the Special Branch officers who took their statements.

'Stop intimidation and scare tactics'

He also said that some of the complainants told him that the police asked them who instructed them to lodge their reports.

"Imagine this happening in Selangor. What will happen if such scare and intimidation tactics take place in the other states?" he said, adding that he would lodge a report in Malacca tomorrow to see if this also happened there.

Shamsul Iskandar urged the police to cease immediately their harassment tactics, for their duty should be to investigate why the ink does not lasts long as it is supposed to

A complainant in Brickfields also claimed the police officer questioned him on whether he had been paid by anybody to lodge his report
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Another complainant who had tried to lodge a complaint in Damansara was told to lodge the report in Jinjang, since she had voted there.

However, she lodged her report in Damansara, since she worked in that area.

Normally, the police are required to accept any report made and if the incident did not take place in the locality the report was made, that report would be referred to the station where the incident occurred.

Asked to comment on the complaints of harassment from people filing reports on the indelible ink used in GE13, Bukit Aman public relations chief ACP Ramli Mohammed Yusof (left) said he was not aware of the matter.

Ramli said the people should not be afraid of lodging police reports as they can go to any police station to lodge any kind of report.

"I do not have the information on this so far. I do not have anybody coming forward to complain to me, except from you (Malaysiakini). I will check on such complaints, if there is anything.

"There should not be any fear at all. The people can just walk in and say, 'I want to lodge a report'. Nothing that bar anyone from lodging any report at all," Ramli said.