Manhandling of Umany’s ex-chief a clear case of assault, says lawyer

 

Umany published this picture of a policeman after its former president Wong Yan Ke, was detained for recording a police raid. (Umany Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: A lawyer today said police’s rough handling of a former Universiti Malaya student leader who was recording them carrying out a raid over the weekend was a “clear case of assault”.

Lawyer SN Nair said based on a video aired live by the student on Facebook, the plainclothes officers were seen struggling with the student in an attempt to remove his mobile phone.

“I would recommend that the student lodge a police report over the incident as it is evident from the Facebook Live video that a struggle had taken place. That is a clear case of assault against the man by the police,” he told FMT.

Last Saturday, former UM Association of New Youth (Umany) leader Wong Yan Ke, 24, was arrested over “alleged obstruction of the duties of a public servant”, after he recorded the police’s attempt to search current Umany president Robin Yap’s house and broadcast it live on Facebook.

SN Nair.

Wong had been standing at the porch of Yap’s house when a group of plainclothes policemen from the Kajang district police headquarters (IPD) arrived in an unmarked car. The cops ordered him to stop recording but he refused to do so.

This resulted in them placing Wong under arrest about two minutes into the video.

The officers were there to seize Yap’s electronic devices over Umany’s post on Facebook titled “Yang di-Pertuan Agong should not intervene in national affairs”. He was being probed for sedition and abuse of internet services, police had said.

Wong was released on police bail after being detained for 15 hours. He was probed under Section 186 of the Penal Code for obstructing a public servant from carrying out his duties.

Nair echoed the Bar Council’s stand that Wong did not commit any crime by recording the cops in action.

Lawyer V Parthipan agreed with Nair, saying a video was only illegal if it was objectionable in nature, such as pornography or a drug-related matter.

Parthipan said people filming police raids were not new, especially with local crime-scene shows such as 999 and Majalah Tiga airing arrests on TV. - FMT