Cops went overboard by stopping Malay church service, says MP

Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming said the police should not have raided the Bethany Church, which is located within his constituency, adding that they acted beyond their jurisdiction by doing so. – The Malaysian Insider pic, December 2, 2014.Complaints about "noise" and the use of a shoplot by a Bahasa Malaysia church in Bangi saw police officers disrupting the service last Sunday, a move criticised by the area's MP, Ong Kian Ming, who said such matters should have been handled by the local council instead.

Ong, the Serdang MP, confirmed the incident at the Bethany Church with the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF), the umbrella body of evangelical churches in Malaysia of which the church is a member.

"From what I know, the church is located in a shoplot and there were complaints that it should not be used as a church.

"But the police should not have gotten involved as this is a matter for the local council. And the police should definitely have not interrupted any worship service of any religious group," Ong told The Malaysian Insider.

An NECF spokesperson said the church conducts services in Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesia as most of its 200 congregants are from Sabah and Indonesia.

NECF was alerted to the intrusion at 11.20am on Sunday and advised the church leaders to lodge a police report.

The spokesperson declined to comment further until the organisation received a full report from the church.

The police reportedly told the church's pastor that they were acting on complaints by "neighbours".

The church, however, is located in a largely commercial area near the Perhentian Kajang bus station.

- TMI