KUALA LUMPUR - "Three truckloads" of activists, mostly from youth NGOs,
were arrested by Malaysian police outside Parliament House where they
had gathered to demand electoral reforms and the immediate resignations
of the Election Commission's top management.
According to eyewitnesses and members of the NGOs participating in the demonstrations, at least 33 people were nabbed and believed to have been sent to the Dang Wangi headquarters where they are expected to face charges.
!['3 truckloads' of activists arrested, police 'agent provocateurs' blamed for scuffles]()
The government-controlled Bernama news agency reported at
least 12 arrests, blaming the "ruckus" on Opposition Leader Anwar
Ibrahim's Pakatan Rakyat coalition, which had organized a mammoth Black
505 rally on Saturday to protest the vote-rigging and cheating they
claimed had robbed them of victory during the May 5 election.
The police have not made any comment yet but given the number of arrests, it is likely that an official statement will be released later today.
Among those arrested were student leaders Safwan Anang and Adam Adli. Other activists who surrendered themselves include Chegubard or Badrul Hisham Shaharin, who is also an Opposition politician, Auntie Bersih (a well-known face in the activists circle) and Roslan Ismail, the head of Ambang 13 - a Kelantan-based pro-democracy youth outfit.
"We didn't start it. The police were the ones who were 'kasar' (rough). They started the fight and manhandled our activists. Our media has captured on camera and we will show these to the public once we are able to get the clips uploaded," Fazli, one of the protesters aged 22, told Malaysia Chronicle.
The police were tight-lipped, refusing to comment although they blamed the protesters for the traffic jam along the main road that leads into town.
However, the traffic congestion was not unduly large given that all schools in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor were closed for the day due to the haze. Many curious motorists slowed down to look. Some horned in sympathy, but generally the mood was cautious given the unusually heavy police presence.
There were about 100 activists at the most, the majority of whom had been evicted from their camp site at the nearby Padang Merbok field during a pre-dawn strike by the police and City Hall officials.
Regrouping, they had marched to towards Parliament where they had hoped to deliver a joint-memorandum to Prime Minister Najib Razak or to Home Minister Zahid Hamidi, urging for immediate measures to stop electoral fraud.
Apart from demanding that the EC panel quit, the protesters also asked for the EC to be placed under the direct purview of Parliament; that there be no redrawing of the constituency boundaries until the EC panel - some of whom are members of Najib's Umno party - was replaced by a team of bi-partisan experts.
Police and agent provocateurs
Police manning the barricade at Parliament outnumbered the protesters by at least 3 to 1.
Read More / Baca Lagi >>
According to eyewitnesses and members of the NGOs participating in the demonstrations, at least 33 people were nabbed and believed to have been sent to the Dang Wangi headquarters where they are expected to face charges.
The government-controlled Bernama news agency reported at
least 12 arrests, blaming the "ruckus" on Opposition Leader Anwar
Ibrahim's Pakatan Rakyat coalition, which had organized a mammoth Black
505 rally on Saturday to protest the vote-rigging and cheating they
claimed had robbed them of victory during the May 5 election.The police have not made any comment yet but given the number of arrests, it is likely that an official statement will be released later today.
Among those arrested were student leaders Safwan Anang and Adam Adli. Other activists who surrendered themselves include Chegubard or Badrul Hisham Shaharin, who is also an Opposition politician, Auntie Bersih (a well-known face in the activists circle) and Roslan Ismail, the head of Ambang 13 - a Kelantan-based pro-democracy youth outfit.
"We didn't start it. The police were the ones who were 'kasar' (rough). They started the fight and manhandled our activists. Our media has captured on camera and we will show these to the public once we are able to get the clips uploaded," Fazli, one of the protesters aged 22, told Malaysia Chronicle.
Pre-dawn raid
The police were tight-lipped, refusing to comment although they blamed the protesters for the traffic jam along the main road that leads into town.
However, the traffic congestion was not unduly large given that all schools in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor were closed for the day due to the haze. Many curious motorists slowed down to look. Some horned in sympathy, but generally the mood was cautious given the unusually heavy police presence.
There were about 100 activists at the most, the majority of whom had been evicted from their camp site at the nearby Padang Merbok field during a pre-dawn strike by the police and City Hall officials.
Regrouping, they had marched to towards Parliament where they had hoped to deliver a joint-memorandum to Prime Minister Najib Razak or to Home Minister Zahid Hamidi, urging for immediate measures to stop electoral fraud.
Apart from demanding that the EC panel quit, the protesters also asked for the EC to be placed under the direct purview of Parliament; that there be no redrawing of the constituency boundaries until the EC panel - some of whom are members of Najib's Umno party - was replaced by a team of bi-partisan experts.
Police and agent provocateurs
Police manning the barricade at Parliament outnumbered the protesters by at least 3 to 1.