Arrests begin after GST rally, Ambiga to be held overnight, say lawyers

A police truck arrives at the Dang Wangi police station, bringing those who were detained over their involvement in today’s Workers Day rally against the goods and services tax (GST). – The Malaysian Insider pic by Seth Akmal, May 1, 2015.

Police have begun arresting protesters who were at the Workers Day rally to oppose the goods and services tax (GST) earlier today, according to lawyers.

Lawyers for Liberty co-founder Eric Paulsen said that arrests were going on after the assembly had ended, and that lawyer and civil society activist Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan would be among those arrested later tonight.

"Mass arrests ongoing after peaceful assembly. @Ambiga_S will be arrested tonight after being summoned to Dang Wangi. Madness," Paulsen tweeted.

Separately, lawyer Latheefa Koya told The Malaysian Insider that she would accompany Ambiga to the Dang Wangi police headquarters tonight.

"The police said they are going to hold her for the night under Section 143. I am puzzled as to why Ambiga would be detained as she was not one of the speakers. We will see later tonight," said Latheefa.

Ambiga arrived at the Dang Wangi station at 9.30pm.

She said she received a call from a police officer from Bukit Aman at 8pm asking her to give her statement, but was not aware that she would be detained until Latheefa told her.

Saying she was shocked to be summoned, the former president of the Malaysian Bar said she only "spoke a few words" at the beginning of the rally and "that's about it".

Lawyer and civil society activist Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan (second left) at the Dang Wangi police headquarters with lawyers Latheefa Koya (second right) and N. Surendran (right). – The Malaysian Insider pic by Muzliza Mustafa, May 1, 2015.Latheefa asked why police wanted to detain Ambiga when she was not even an organiser.

Lawyer Michelle Yesudas also tweeted that she was waiting outside the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters to see 20 protesters who had been detained.

"Now outside IPK KL with 2 lawyers waiting to see the 20 protesters but denied access to the detained," she said.

Paulsen told The Malaysian Insider that besides Ambiga, four others were summoned by police tonight.

The rest are DAP's Anthony Loke, #KitaLawan secretariat member Fariz Musa, Parti Sosialis Malaysia secretary-general S. Arutchelvan and Bersih 2.0 secretariat officer Mandeep Singh.

Mandeep, when contacted, said he was the first to receive a call from the police asking him to turn himself in for investigations under Section 143 of the Penal Code.

"The officer told me than an order to arrest me has been issued and asked me of my whereabouts and told me to surrender," Mandeep said, adding that he immediately called Latheefa, who is Lawyers for Liberty co-founder, for legal assistance.

Yesudas also told The Malaysian Insider that the five summoned were not part of the 20 arrested.

Still waiting for police to grant her access to the 20, she said they were mostly youths who were arrested at the tail end of the rally which ended after 5pm today.

She added that four of the youths detained were believed to be PKR Youth members from Machang.

The number of those arrested and brought to the KL police headquarters swelled to 59 tonight, according to Latheefa.

At 10.40pm, a police truck carrying the 59 arrived at the Dang Wangi station, where a group of people had gathered in solidarity for Ambiga and others detained.

- TMI