Women Day's March: Police record statements from three more

Police today recorded statements from three individuals in relation to the Women Day's March on March 9 which became engulfed in controversy following the display of messages calling for an end to violence against the LGBT community.

The trio, accompanied by a group by about 50 supporters, arrived at the Dang Wangi district police headquarters in the capital at about 2pm and spent about two hours having their statements recorded.

This brings the total of people currently being probed over the march to nine including three of the event's organisers.

Lawyer Gurdial Singh Nijar (above), who represented one of the trio, said the three called in today were not organisers.

"They are people who have been identified by the police but I don't know on what basis," Nijar told reporters outside of the police station without divulging the identities of the trio.

Media attempts to interview the trio were futile as they immediately left the police station after the questioning ended.

Nijar, who is also National Human Rights Society (Hakam) president, said he objected to investigations against those who had participated in a peaceful demonstration.

"There's nothing wrong that they have done. And this is an attempt to try to demonise people, fragment the population, create disunity.

“This is very clearly a peaceful demonstration to advance the rights of women. This was an international day which everybody throughout the world participated," he said.

On Friday, Inspector-General of Police Mohamad Fuzi Harun announced that police were investigating the Women's Day March organisers saying they had failed to adhere to protocol.

“They (the organisers) did not give us notice within the (10-day) period. That is why we did not give permission and it went against (the protocol).

“That is why investigations are ongoing,” Fuzi said, adding police had received over 50 reports against the organisers.

The organisers, however, insisted that they had informed the police of the rally 10 days ahead, on Feb 25, in line with the Peaceful Assembly Act.

Nijar also claimed police had asked the trio a lot of questions but none on the 10-day notice period.

"They never questioned on the notice. It's clear that the organisers had submitted the form. The organisers had also ticked all the various requirement boxes at the back of the form before submitting it to the police," he said.

The march had taken place in the city centre in conjunction with International Women’s Day with more than 300 people attending. Some participants had displayed placards calling for an end to violence against transgenders and this erupted in controversy.

The organisers had focused on five main demands which included ending child marriages, ending patriarchy and ending gender and sexual orientation-based violence.

Dang Wangi police chief ACP Shaharuddin Abdullah confirmed police had recorded statements of the trio. - Mkini