Archive for category Police
Hands raised against Hanif’s appointment
By Aidila Razak | 11:34AM May 11, 2012
Malaysiakini
It was a sea of raised hands yesterday when DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang asked an audience of about 2,000 people at the Subang Jaya 3C complex “who opposed the appointment of Hanif Omar” as chairperson of the investigative panel on police brutality during Bersih 3.0.
Asked why, some of those present at the second stop of PKR’s post-Bersih nationwide tour Merdeka Rakyat, yelled out “because we cannot trust him”.
“Why can’t we trust him?… After what he has said he should in fact be the star witness of the inquiry and not the chairperson,” the Ipoh Timor MP said.
Most of the audience had also raised their hands when asked if they had participated in the April 28 Bersih 3.0 rally.
Read the rest of this entry »
Anwar: Hanif must step down as panel chief in Bersih 3.0 probe
Posted by Kit in Anwar Ibrahim, Bersih, Elections, Police on Friday, 11 May 2012
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
The Malaysian Insider
May 11, 2012
PETALING JAYA, May 11 — Tun Mohammad Hanif Omar must step down as head of Putrajaya’s independent panel probe on the Bersih 3.0 violence, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said last night.
The PKR de facto leader said this was necessary to ensure the panel was completely fair and neutral in its investigations into incidents surrounding the April 28 rally.
Former Inspector-General of Police Hanif was delusional in thinking Bersih 3.0 would bring a resurgence of communist threat, said Anwar.
“Tun Hanif still thinks he is the Inspector-General of Police fighting the communists, need to fight Chin Peng to the end… eh it (the communist threat) is already over,” Anwar said at a Pakatan Rakyat (PR) ceramah attended by over 1,000 supporters.
“I am asking that Tun Hanif withdraw as chairman. Do not fool the people. You know you are not neutral, insulting Bersih… the other panel members should also step down,” Anwar demanded.
DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang echoed Anwar’s remarks, saying that Hanif’s appointment was the “worst” decision the Najib administration had made in three years.
“Tun Hanif should be a star witness in the enquiry, not the chairman… save the enquiry from embarrassment,” the Ipoh Timor MP said to loud cheers from people at the ceramah.
“Tun Hanif says Bersih 3.0 was a plot to overthrow the present government… where is the proof?
“Rational Malaysians won’t accept this explanation… that there were pro-communist elements during the rally,” said Lim. Read the rest of this entry »
Plain meaning of ‘independent’
by Clive Kessler
Malaysiakini
May 10, 2012
Excuse me, but as a puzzled outside observer I just do not understand.
Or perhaps it is the case that others do not understand the “plain meaning” of everyday words?
Yesterday Hanif Omar was named to head an “independent” commission of investigation into the events of April 28.
Yet several days ago he joined forces, and combined his voice, with two other former inspectors-general of police to call for action against the leaders of the Bersih movement for mounting a “coup attempt”.
“Independent”? Read the rest of this entry »
We should say yes to La Rue’s offer
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Human Rights, Police on Friday, 11 May 2012
— Khoo Ying Hooi
The Malaysian Insider
May 10, 2012
MAY 10 — Malaysia is one of the 47 members sitting in the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) for the second term covering 2010-2013. When our Foreign Affairs Minister, Dato’ Sri Anifah Aman opined that there is no necessity for outsiders, in this context, the Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression, Frank William La Rue to investigate the Bersih 3.0 rally that took place on April 28. He is stretching the truth way a little because, I quote, “We are a sovereign nation. We are capable of doing our own impartial investigation and we have faith in the authorities and the police. For responsible Malaysians, I don’t think this is an issue. We don’t need someone to investigate what transpired in our country. We have seen it on television and there are people who were actually on the spot who witnessed what happened.”
He also added that “The government is going to appoint a panel to investigate; therefore I do not see the necessity. I mean, maybe it’s possible, but I do not see the necessity for any outside organisation to determine whether we are free or fair.”
In declaring its intention for its candidature, the Malaysian government circulated a memorandum dated March 9, 2010, outlining its human rights record and its pledges and voluntary commitments. As the member of the HRC, Malaysia’s voluntary commitments and pledges include “deepening and widening our cooperation with and support for the work of various UN actors and mechanisms involved in the promotion and protection of human rights such as the … Special Procedures of the HRC,” which includes Special Rapporteurs, Working Groups, and Independent Experts.
If we take a peek to the UN General Assembly resolution A/RES/60/251, it states clearly that members of the HRC shall uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights; fully cooperate with the HRC; and be reviewed under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism during their term.
However, the way Anifah Aman described the Special Rapporteur and the HRC which we are a member, as the “outsider” and the “outside organisation” is detrimental to the country. It doesn’t reflect the commitments that the government has promised to the HRC and it is obviously just another diplomatic exercise. Read the rest of this entry »
UN does not approve tear gas as a riot control agent
Dr Lin Mui Kiang
Letter
Free Malaysia Today
May 10, 2012
The United Nations in Malaysia would like to refer to the article published in The Star on May 7, 2012 titled ‘Police: Tear gas used at rally safe, UN-approved’. We very much regret that the UN in Malaysia was not consulted before the publication of this article as it contains serious inaccuracies.
The UN has consistently condemned the excessive use of force, including through the use of tear gas. Please also note that the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council have on various occasions publicly expressed concerns about reliable reports indicating that civilians who died from tear gas suffered complications from gas inhalation, and that security forces have been firing metal tear gas canisters from grenade launchers into crowds.
The UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression after his mission to the Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) in December 2011 noted that “while the use of tear gas to disperse a crowd may be legitimate under certain circumstances, tear gas canisters should never be fired directly at demonstrators.”
Moreover, unlike what is alleged in the article, the UN does not set international standards on different kinds of irritants, nor has the UN approved ‘CS Gas’ as a ‘riot control’ agent.
As far as the use of force is concerned, the relevant UN instrument is the Basic Principles on the use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, which was adopted by the Eighth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders in 1990, not the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) of 1993. I provide its general provisions below: Read the rest of this entry »
Hanif should be the last person to head probe of Bersih 3.0 violence as he should be one of the “star” witnesses to substantiate his allegations that Bersih 3.0 was a coup attempt which involved pro-communist sympathizers
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Elections, Hishammuddin, Najib Razak, Police on Thursday, 10 May 2012
It is most ironical that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said in an interview on Sinar.FM radio station this morning that as Prime Minister he could not even afford a single mistake, and “if we have to make 10 major decisions, we need to get 10 out of 10 right”, as he had just made probably his worst decision in his three-year premiership.
This is the appointment of former Inspector-General of Police, Tun Hanif Omar as chairman of the six-member Independent Advisory Panel to investigate the Bersih 3.0 violence and brutality.
Right from the second after the announcement by the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein last evening, Hanif’s appointment as the head of the Bersih 3.0 panel had received immediate brickbats and all-round disapprobation and condemnation as being utterly inappropriate, rendering the whole probe not only lacking in independence but totally bereft of credibility and legitimacy.
I do not think it is possible to find another announcement of the composition of a public inquiry by the government in the nation’s 54-year history which had attracted such instant and all-round rejection and condemnation by major national stakeholders in the country!
The answer is very obvious. Hanif is the last person to head the probe of Bersih 3.0 violence as nobody would believe that he could be impartial and unbiased after he had publicly supported Najib’s irresponsible, wild and baseless allegation that Bersih 3.0 “sit-in” at Dataran Merdeka on April 28 was a coup d’etat attempt by the opposition to topple the government when there is not one iota of evidence whatsoever. Read the rest of this entry »
How BN lost this fencesitting voter: Open letter to PM
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Elections, Najib Razak, Police on Thursday, 10 May 2012
Daniel Tan | May 8, 2012
Malaysiakini
I am your average Joe in my late 40’s, living a comfortable life in a quiet suburban part of KL. I call myself a political atheist with no particular inclination to any political party.
You can call me a fencesitter or a middle ground voter. In the last 20 years of my voting life, I have always voted based on issues, swinging my votes between BN and the opposition depending on the hot issues of the day.
I voted BN in 2004, giving your coalition a massive mandate post-Mahathir and the reverberating message of ‘Change’ espoused by your predecessor.
And when the message remained just a message, four years on, I voted for the opposition, and what followed is history.
I understand you are trying very hard to court people like me and I supposed all this alphabet in the soup monikers – ETP, GTP, NEM, etc. are part of your big strategy to win urban voters like me.
Honestly, I am not sure I am thoroughly convinced. Read the rest of this entry »
‘Brutal’ M’sian police must learn from 1992 LA riots
Ye Choh Wah | May 7, 2012
Malaysiakini
The police brutality towards the Bersih crowd reminded me of incident in 1992 when the police in Los Angeles, USA, brutally beat up an unarmed black man named Rodney King.
The whole scene was videoed by an amateur (video was not so prevalent then).
Four white policemen were charged but eventually acquitted on April 29th 1992 (almost exactly twenty years ago from 428).
The next day, riots broke out that crippled the city of LA for days. Buildings were burned. There was looting, shots fired and the whole city was closed down.
At the end of the day 54 people were killed.
I happened to be visiting LA that time. My flight had to be diverted to Ontario, two hours drive away, with airlines arranging coaches to take us back to LA.
Upon reaching LA, the city was basically shut down. There were many burnt buildings and smoke everywhere.
We had a hard time to even find food. We had to cancel our plans to visit Disneyland the next day and left town.
However, being a much more open and transparent country, the whole incident did change the police force in LA, every other city in US and the world (except Malaysia maybe). Read the rest of this entry »
Did the police lose control that day?
by Azrul Mohd Khalib
The Malaysian Insider
May 09, 2012
MAY 9 — In my column last week on Bersih 3.0, I was quite hesitant to share in detail my account of what I had seen and experienced on the streets of Kuala Lumpur later that day. My belief that with the many videos, photographs and victims of police misconduct (read: brutality), the truth would surely get out. There would be no denying the fact that the police on that day had lost control of their men.
But I am now quite disquieted by the fact that there seems to be a group of people out there who are saying that the actions of the police (tear gas, water cannon, detention, forceful and abusive treatment of those being arrested) were justified as the rally participants had breached the perimeter of the security barricade, resisted arrest and engaged in hand to hand combat. Basically, that they had it coming because the rally participants provoked the police.
Let’s first put things into perspective. Read the rest of this entry »
Police brutality unacceptable
KJ John
Malaysiakini
May 8, 2012
I am boiling mad! I am really angry with the police force, that they willingly and voluntarily inflicted wanton abuse and injury to so many civilians.
One does not need more evidence. Just scan the YouTube uploads and it will become evident to any observer.
Abuse is abuse of the law and the special privilege and the concomitant responsibility of being in a uniform which we are called to, and demanded to respect.
In fact, the uniform even carries the insignia of the royal emblem of Malaysia.
Surely therefore there must be standard operating procedures related to “under what conditions are the Public Order and Preservation Ordinations motions can be called upon” and applied towards violators.
If one is unsure, please go also on the net and find out for yourself, as an ex-military officer has already described and qualified for such “approved procedures of relevant actions”.
If the IGP cannot explain all the obvious abuse by the police upon innocent civilians who simply want a peaceful assembly, then I would like the IGP to resign.
I recognise that his deputy is a worse off character based on his history of public statements and moreover the IGP is a much more sincere and simpler man, but I think the Rupert Murdoch Principle set by the British Parliament must apply. Read the rest of this entry »
Umno’s perfect game plan
by Amran Ariffin
Free Malaysia Today
May 8, 2012
“If you tell a lie and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the state can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its power to repress dissent, for truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension the truth is the greatest enemy of the State” – Joseph Goebbels
Before 428
There was no news on Bersih 3.0 on national (read: BN’s owned) TV, radio and newspapers. Something amiss here! There was no banning of anything yellow from the men in blue! It can’t be right! There was no restriction order for certain personalities from entering KL on 428. Something fishy here! And for Utusan Malaysia not demonising Bersih3.0, it was too good to be true!
Ultimately, the big-mouthed son of Umno’s founder declared Bersih 3.0 had no traction and was not a threat at all. When discussing these rather seemingly unlikely reactions from the establishment with like minded friends, they tended to believe that government had learnt the lesson from Bersih2.0 and will allow Bersih3.0 to proceed without disturbance as with Hijau 2.0 last month. I did not buy into this for one second because a leopard does not change its spots overnight. I strongly believed Umno had sinister plan in place but I was more than happy to be proven wrong. Read the rest of this entry »
Bersih 3.0 chaos: PM Najib’s negligence
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Najib Razak, Police on Monday, 7 May 2012
by Mat Zain bin Ibrahim
Former Kuala Lumpur CID chief
07.05.2012
Nothing can stop the PM from forming another so called independent panel to investigate the causes of Bersih 3.0. chaos.
Knowing the manner an Independent Panel ,(that scrutinized the MACC’s findings on the AG,a former IGP, a Consultant Pathologist and me included, alleged to have fabricated evidence in the black-eye investigation) conducted it’s business,I am pessimistic of the outcome of this one.
However it would be premature to make any comments at this juncture, since we have not seen this Panel’s composition and their terms of reference.
It would be most welcome if the Panel members are allowed to query the Prime Minister as well,to ascertain the measures taken by himself if any, to prevent the chaos from happening. Read the rest of this entry »
Blind baseless support by 3 ex IGPs for Najib’s wild allegation that Bersih 3.0 “sit-in” was Opposition bid to topple the government latest proof there is no level playing field for free and fair elections
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Elections, Najib Razak, Police on Sunday, 6 May 2012
Almost every day, Malaysians are provided with fresh proof that there is just no level playing field for free and fair elections in Malaysia and that the Barisan Nasional government is still a very long way off from fulfilling Bersih 2.0 Eight Demands for free and fair elections highlighted in the July 9, 2011 rally, let alone the Further Three Demands of the Bersih 3.0 “sit-in” on April 28 last month.
The Eight Demands of the Bersih 2.0 rally were: Read the rest of this entry »
SUHAKAM inquiry on Police Violence on April 28
Press Statement
Steering Committee
Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections 2.0 (BERSIH 2.0)
5 MAY 2012
While the government focuses on the breaching of the barricades at Dataran Merdeka by a few, and what they see as a threat to their power, there is a deafening and irresponsible silence about the unprecedented violence inflicted upon unsuspecting members of the public by the police force.
Whilst BERSIH 2.0 does not condone the breaching of the barricades, the legality of those barricades is questionable, as is the legality of the hurriedly obtained court order. We are also receiving information that much more was happening at the barricades than meets the eye.
The unanswered question still remains – who is responsible for the untold violence upon participants of the Duduk Bantah that occurred after the first tear gas was fired?
Evidence based on medical reports of some of those who were detained by the police appear to show that some members of the police force were out to punish those who wore BERSIH 3.0 t-shirts, anti-Lynas t-shirts or any yellow t-shirts, by inflicting excessive and completely unjustified violence on them.
Some detainees were attacked at the time of arrest, when they were in shops dining, or about to board LRTs while others were attacked after arrest and despite the absence of struggle. Some were alleged to have been assaulted by over 30 police personnel. Many speak of having to “run the gauntlet” of police personnel and beaten repeatedly before being loaded onto police trucks.
The brutality suggests that a segment of the police force on duty that day had acted with vengeance against BERSIH 3.0 participants whether due to orders given to them or because they had lost control. There are too many reports of police officers who were wearing blue police uniforms but without their names and police identity numbers so as to prevent the victims of violence from identifying the perpetrators of police violence.
In addition to BERSIH 3.0 participants, it must not be forgotten that more than 12 photographers and journalists were assaulted, intimidated or detained by police while reporting the rally, and cameras, memory cards and video equipment were taken away. Read the rest of this entry »
Eight questions that a full and credible public inquiry into the “428” Bersih 3.0 violence must provide answers
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak is leading the Barisan Nasional propaganda campaign of damage control to minimize the adverse fall-outs from the government mishandling of Bersih 3.0 “sit-in” at Dataran Merdeka for free and fair elections with wild and far-fetched allegations, for instance, that Bersih 3.0 was an attempt by the opposition to topple the Barisan Nasional government.
In actual fact, Bersih 3.0 marked the greatest awakening, empowerment and unity among Malaysians transcending race, religion, class, region, gender or age to demonstrate their love for the country and concern for clean elections for a clean Malaysia.
What is undeniable is that Bersih 3.0 is proving to be a bigger public relations disaster for Najib and his image as a “reformer” and “transformer” with every passing day.
Suhakam has said that the “heavy-handed and arbitrary manner” in which the police used “disproportionate and unwarranted force against the participants of the rally as well as members of the media” in the Bersih 3.0 rally was “unacceptable conduct” while the Bar Council has said that police brutality against protestors during Bersih 3.0 had worsened as compared to the Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9 last year. Read the rest of this entry »
A bittersweet experience
By A Humble Malaysian
The Malaysian Insider
May 04, 2012
KUALA LUMPUR, May 4 — I personally believe that there are three occasions where you can experience the spirit of 1 Malaysia: football, badminton and rally.
Why did I join Bersih 3.0? Various reasons, but certainly NOT for politics.
I woke up automatically at 6.30am on April 28, an hour ahead of my alarm set. The first thing I did was to turn on my laptop and checked the updates on Facebook.
There were already an estimate of 5,000 people around Dataran Merdeka. Next, I checked RapidKL Twitter to ensure the train was in service. No service disruption. Good.
I left my house at about 8am for the Kelana Jaya LRT station. At the car park, I saw a few groups of people, clad in yellow and green. That was when I realised, I was not alone.
We looked at each other, with smiles on our faces, as if we could read each other’s mind.
Each stop at the LRT station, I could see more and more people in yellow and green boarding the train.
A big crowd went off at Pasar Seni for one of the main meeting points, Central Market.
I got out from Masjid Jamek. After meeting my friend at the platform, we walked towards Petaling Street.
I could see yellow everywhere, even yellow “Angry Birds”. We headed towards the food stall area for breakfast. All the stalls and restaurants were jam packed. We actually stood while eating. Read the rest of this entry »
Violence against Malaysia
by Zan Azlee
The Malaysian Insider
May 04, 2012
MAY 4 — I waited for almost a week before actually writing or posting anything much about the recent Bersih 3.0 rally in Kuala Lumpur. There were so many emotions, I wanted to make sure that I was calm and coherent before actually commenting on it.
And now that everything seems ever so slightly clearer to me, the one thing that affected me most that Saturday was the violence that occurred.
The day had started early for me and walking all around the city, I felt the almost party-like atmosphere amongst all the Malaysians that had gathered.
Dataran Merdeka, of course, had a heavy police presence. It was cordoned off with metal fencing and even scary-looking barbed wire.
But, as I mentioned, the atmosphere was very festive and I guess the intimidation wasn’t working that well.
When the rally was in full force, I was standing alongside the leaders as they were giving their speeches and encouraging the people to sing.
Once everyone was as close to Dataran Merdeka as possible, I heard the leaders declaring the rally a success and calling for the crowd to disperse.
The crowd didn’t disperse and I made my way behind the barricade and police line with the help of my press tag.
Before I knew it, I heard people shouting and noticed the police running back from the barricade. The protesters had breached the barricade. Read the rest of this entry »
Bersih 3.0 is even greater public relations disaster for Najib than Bersih 2.0 – with damage growing in magnitude and impact when all the horror stories of police rampage of violence and brutality are told
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Media, Najib Razak, Police on Friday, 4 May 2012
As I said after the Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9 last year, there were many casualties especially the police, the mainstream media and the election commission but the biggest loser of all was undoubtedly the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
This is even more the case with the Bersih 3.0 “sit-in” last Saturday on April 28 as Bersih 3.0 is an even greater public relations disaster for Najib than Bersih 2.0 – with the damage growing in magnitude and impact when all the horror stories of police rampage of violence and brutality on that day are told where hundreds of thousands of Malaysians who came to Kuala Lumpur in peace were not allowed to disperse in peace.
No reasonable and thinking Malaysian would buy Najib’s blame yesterday alleging that Bersih 3.0 organisers were responsible for last Saturday’s violence, in particular the police rampage of violence and brutality against peaceful protestors and media representatives.
The excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate use of police force, whether firing of tear gas and chemically-laced water cannon or downright police violence and brutality, cannot be justified by any breach of the Dataran Merdeka barricades last Saturday.
A critic of the government’s gross mishandling of Bersih 2.0 rally for free and fair elections in July last year had urged the Najib administration to discard its “Cold War” mindset and to modernize its concepts to address internal security and national issues.
Read the rest of this entry »
Joy in seeing spirit of Bersih in so many
A True Malaysian Pastor | Apr 30, 2012
Malaysiakini
After having rested and had time to reflect on Bersih 3.0, I have come to the following conclusions.
Compared to Bersih 2.0
1.It was so much easier to mobilise my church members to go. Many who regretted not taking part in Bersih 2.0 out of “fear”, managed to overcome the invisible fear barrier and made their physical presence felt.
2.We were much better prepared physically, spiritually, emotionally and psychologically for Bersih 3.0 compared to 2.0.
3.As a church we could openly pray about the situation and condition of our beloved nation and where it is heading.
4.There was obviously more Chinese people present this time around.
5.More young people were in attendance.
6.More recording devices were evident.
7.People came much earlier.
8.More food stalls were open this time around and did a roaring business eg along Petaling street.
Read the rest of this entry »
BN’s Dirtaran Merdeka
Dean Johns | May 1, 2012
Malaysiakini
BN’s attempt to thwart the Bersih 3.0 rally by transforming the people’s Dataran into its own ‘Dirtaran’ with razor wire, barricades and battalions of police was a monstrous mockery of the meaning of Merdeka.
And this was the clearest sign yet of how terrified the regime is that clean and fair elections would spell an end to its corrupt and kotor rule of the country.
Yet Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his accomplices in crime and grime are still spouting all their usual filthy lies. Read the rest of this entry »
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