IGP CONVENIENTLY SLEEPING AGAIN? RED SHIRTS ‘TAKE LAW INTO THEIR HANDS’, CHASE OFF BERSIH SUPPORTERS FROM ROADSHOW

MANJUNG – A group of ‘red shirts’ members gathered to protest the launching of the Bersih 5 rally roadshow here on Saturday.

The “red shirts” were seen engaging in hostile behaviour towards the “yellow shirts” supporters at 9.30am at the Lumut Jetty, forcing the latter to disperse and make their way towards nearby towns Ayer Tawar and Teluk Intan in a convoy of cars carrying the yellow “Bersih 5” flags.

There was a visibly much larger presence of ‘red shirts’ compared to the ‘yellow shirts.’

Red Shirt rally organiser Datuk Jamal Md Yunos said they have successfully thwarted the plans of Bersih 5 from gathering in Manjung and Sitiawan, stressing that they will continue to oppose the gathering of yellow shirts for as many times as it would take.

“What they (yellow shirts) are doing today does not bring any benefit at all.

“Every time Bersih wants to do this, we will do our best in chasing them away to prevent them from inciting the people,” he told a press conference here after the gathering.

In the next coming weeks leading up to the day when the Bersih 5 rally is due to be held on Nov 19, Jamal warned that they would not hesitate to put up a more aggressive front to defend the constitutional democracy.

Meanwhile, Bersih 5 rally supporter Thomas Su, who is also Ipoh Timur MP, said the “red shirts” had taken law into their own hands.

“Our roadshow was meant to be a peaceful gathering to create awareness and garner supporters for when the rally is supposed to take place on Nov 19.

“But what we saw from the red shirts was unruly and threatening behaviour. They came on motorcycles and started kicking our cars. They tore down our flags too.

“They even stopped our cars from moving at a traffic light junction in Sitiawan for about five to 10 minutes,” he said.

Thankfully, Su said no one from the convoy was physically injured as they were seated in their vehicles.

– ANN