They have photos of my sons' MyKad, says Maria on death threat

Bersih chairperson Maria Chin has revealed that those who issued a death threat against her, also sent images of her three sons' MyKad.

"I don't know how they got hold of the photos. This just shows how desperate they are.

"They are using the name of Islam to spread slander and scare us," she told reporters after filing a report with the Petaling Jaya district police headquarters this evening.

Maria had received the threat via her mobile phone, and the message had stated that it was a warning from Malaysian Islamic State operatives.

According to Maria's report, part of the threat read: "Demi Allah dan kesucian perjuangan Islam di Malaysia, kalau ko nak hilang kepala macam kt Syria, teruskan keje bodoh tu. Aku potong kepala ko aku rakam dan akan aku sebar dalam u tube...aku kenal sape ko, aku tau kt mana kau tinggal dan aku jugak tau sape fmly dan anak-anak ko..."

(In the name of Allah, and the sanctity of the Islamic struggle in Malaysia, if you want to lose your head like in Syria, continue with your stupid work. I will decapitate you, record it and spread it on You Tube. I know who you are, I know where you live and I know your family and children).

Commenting further, Maria said police had in the past taken swift action based on various social media postings and as such, should do to the same to track down the person who threatened her.

Making threats in the name of IS are a lot more serious and we hope that police would take actions," she added.

The threat also included images of a man dressed in black and wearing a balaclava, holding Maria, Ambiga and Mandeep at knife-point.

Amanah president Mohamad Sabu, meanwhile, urged Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar to immediately crack down on all terrorist elements imported from the Middle East.

"Do not ever allow the culture of denouncing other Muslims as infidels, imported from Iraq, Yemen, Syria and the Middle East, to take root in Malaysia.

"I hope the IGP will take this (threat) seriously. Once you allow such culture to set in, it may take many more years to undo," he warned.

DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang also echoed the call, and said authorities should ensure that such elements do not spread beyond a "sick fringe group".

"I will be asking a question on follow-up actions during the minister's Question Time in Parliament on Thursday," said the Gelang Patah MP.

Also present at the police headquarters were Human Rights Society (Hakam) chairperson Ambiga Sreenivasan, Bersih secretariat member Mandeep Singh, as well as activists and opposition lawmakers.

'Provide protection'

Meanwhile, DAP's Klang MP Charles Santiago has called for the police to provide round the clock protection for current and former Bersih leaders who had received death threats.

"The police must not just investigate the origins of these photographs quickly, but also provide around the clock security for Maria, Ambiga and Mandeep," he said in a Facebook posting today.

Santiago said the death threats were a consequence of authorities "tolerating unruly behaviour, hooliganism and bully-boy tactics and allowing leniency to certain individuals", under the administration of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

"We simply cannot allow for threats of violence and agitation to become the norm in politics or to be used as a tool to stay in power," he said.

The police, he added, are quick to detain opposition politicians and activists but treats individuals close to the ruling government differently.

Citing the example of Sungai Besar Umno division chief Jamal Md Yunos, Santiago said the red-shirts leader has been issuing statements that threaten national security.

Yet, he pointed out, the police did not act swiftly in arresting Jamal as he had time to travel abroad while his lawyer spoke to the police.- Mkini