Arrest of rally youths a mere show, says PKR

The detention of 29 youths after the May Day rally against the goods and services tax is a mere show, says MP Sivarasa. – The Malaysian Insider filepic, May 3, 2015.A lawyer and PKR lawmaker has described the arrest of 29 youths and minors after the May Day rally against the goods and services tax in Kuala Lumpur as a 'wayang' (show).

Subang MP R. Sivarasa today accused the police of "simply picking up" the people after the rally had ended when they could had been arrested on the spot if the police had seen them committing vandalism and lighting fire crackers.

"At the earlier stages (of the rally), there were already firecrackers making bomb-like sounds. My question to the police is why did they not step in to detain the culprits immediately.

"There was police presence all the way with lots of special branch officers on the ground (to witness the alleged offences).

"The arrest of the 29 was a 'wayang' to just create a situation for someone to say, 'I arrested 29 fellows who were going around spraying graffiti and exploding firecrackers and whatever nonsense," he told reporters in Bukit Mertajam.

"Now the poor kids are under remand for three days after a magistrate was told they blew up firecrackers.

"How are you going to know two hours later that they were the culprits, when people were just sitting around the area after the rally. There is no way to connect the two.

"This is totally unprofessional," he said, adding that it was also shameful how the police were handling public order cases.

It was reported that during the rally, some youths dressed in black and with their faces covered, were seen letting off smoke bombs, burning rubbish and spray-painting graffiti on signboards and metal hoardings.

Twenty-three of the youths detained are being remanded for investigation under Section 143 of the Penal Code and Section 4 of the Corrosive and Explosive Substances Act. Some of them were reportedly PKR members, while others were 'bystanders'. The other six, who are minors, were released yesterday.

Sivarasa was speaking to reporters outside the Seberang Prai Tengah district police headquarters, where Batu MP Chua Tian Chang was first brought after he was arrested last night in Seberang Jaya.

Chua's two aides, who were with him during the arrest, were asked to have their statements recorded. Following the arrest, the duo lodged police reports against the arrest and the manner in it was done.

Chua was allegedly roughed up by the police during the arrest. He posted a series of tweets detailing the arrest such as the police allegedly intercepting his car in the middle of the highway, roughly dragging him out, hitting his head and pulling his hair.

His two escorts Muhammad Huraimi Hilman Mohamad Husri, 18, and Chin Sim Pang, 55, both tried to document the arrest using their smartphones, but were stopped and roughed up by the police.

Huraimi was allegedly slapped in the face and his phone was confiscated and has not been returned, while Chin was injured on his head and had his phone taken away. The device was only given back to him after the contents were deleted.

Sivarasa said the police committed a crime themselves for taking the duo's phones and deleting the videos of Chua's arrest.

He said the documentation of the arrest was important in case Chua wanted to seek legal redress later.

"It is an offence under the Penal Code to destroy or tamper with evidence," he said.

Sivarasa said the whole incident was serious and he was surprised that the police from Bukit Aman could behave like gangsters.

"You can see the details of the report of how Chua's car was stopped and how he was arrested. It was very unprofessional. Chua would had just gone to the police station if he were asked.

"We hold the Inspector-General of Police responsible, assuming that the order had come from Bukit Aman.

"This incident also proves again that we need to have an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) to investigate abuses by the police," he said.

Baru Uban assemblyman Dr. T. Jayabalan also criticised the treatment at the hands of the police, which caused him an injury at the back of his head.

He said the injury could had been serious if left untreated.

Kebun Bunga assemblyman Cheah Kah Peng, who is also a lawyer, said the arrest, which is believed to be related to Chua's involvement in the May Day rally, was a vicious attack against Pakatan Rakyat's ongoing campaign in the Permatang Pauh by-election.

"They know we are campaigning. They are using such tactics to create a tense situation. The IGP has to be responsible.

"The police force is acting like a private army for Barisan Nasional," he said.

- TMI