Activist lodges report after ‘beating’ for flying red-white flag

PETALING JAYA: The Teoh Beng Hock Trust for Democracy has condemned alleged police violence against its executive director, Ng Yap Hwa.

It claimed this happened at a rally organised by youth group Malaysia Muda at the Sogo department store in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

The group’s chairperson, A Samad Said, claimed a police officer beat Ng three times on his back after warning him to lower a red-and-white flag, and even threatened to arrest him if he continued to fly it.

Ng yesterday lodged a report at the Dang Wangi police station on the matter to demand that action be taken against the officer.

Samad, a national literature laureate, said flying the flag that represented the memory of the anti-British struggle 70 years ago was not a crime.

“The police had allowed the procession to be carried out peacefully with banners, drums, songs and slogans,” he said in a statement today.

“There is no reason for the police to ban the historic red-white flag, except if they support colonialism.”

Samad said Inspector-General of Police Mohamad Fuzi Harun should conduct an investigation on the incident and the officer involved should be suspended immediately.

“If the alleged misconduct is found to be true, the police officer must be charged under the relevant Penal Code.”

He also called on the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) to hold a public hearing on the incident.

The trust is named after Teoh, who was a political aide to Seri Kembangan assemblyperson Ean Yong Hian Wah.

He was found dead after falling nine floors from MACC’s previous Selangor headquarters on July 16, 2009, where he had been held overnight for interrogation. -FMT