MORE Arrests 8+1+1+10=20 - 4 Lawyers, 4 Activists –Walk; BAR Edmund Bon, PAS Mohd Sabu, 10 Bersih Protesters; PM: Laws are Enforced on All

Malaysiakini missed out some of the Arrests of the Day

The Government is acting tough and flexing its muscles and acting to deflect Hindraf allegations that they were discriminated. So everyone is roped in for flouting the laws. The PM says lawyers are not exempted and so are the Bersih Protesters.
There are exceptions to this selective application of the long arm of the law. When the rural folks openly flouted the law for not wearing crash helmets, they can get away Scott free; the Palestinian student who breached KLIA Security then stowaway to Singapore was set free (Details Go H E R E) and that SMS woman in Ipoh who sent Protesters to a Church alleging baptism by the famous Sailor was also not prosecuted. This is PM Abdullah interpretation “no favouritism whatsoever on this matter” (see Bernama report, Below and their description of BUSY Jalan Tuanku Abddul Rahman on a Sunday Morning!. Do you think their reporters were there or were reporting from the Office in “remote control” mode)

ABOVE: The 4 lawyers taken and BELOW: the 4 activists taken in for questioning in the Sunday Morning Human Rights Walk

It was a SUNDAY DAY of ARREST as mentioned by DAP Ronnie Liu - 8 + 1 + 2 + 12 =23; Early Morning the 4 lawyers and 4 activists were detained followed by Bar Council Human Rights Chairman Edmund Bon. Pas vice president Mohd Sabu was arrested in Ipoh whilst attending his daughter’s wedding. Meanwhile,PKR Information Chief Tian Chua was arrested outside human rights organisation Suaram’s office in Johor Baru at 5.15pm by a police team from Kuala Lumpur. And 12 BERSIH protesters were rearrested today and to be charged for ‘illegal gathering’ at Jalan Duta Courts in Kuala Lumpur on Monday. There might be more unreported yet.= == = == = == = =

December 09, 2007 23:11 PM

Mohamad Sabu, Tian Chua Held Over Bersih Rally

BELOW: Deputy IGP said:

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 9 (Bernama) -- Police today arrested PAS vice-president Mohamad Sabu and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) information chief Tian Chua (ABOVE) in connection with the illegal rally held here on Nov 10 by the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih). Mohamad Sabu was stopped by police when he was returning from attending his daughter's wedding in Tambun, Ipoh, this evening.

Tian Chua was arrested in Johor Baharu, also in the evening. Perak Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Chief SAC II Ismail Yatim said Mohamad Sabu was allowed to send his family back to Kepala Batas, Penang, first. "Three lawyers who were with him gave the assurance that Mohamad Sabu would surrender himself after sending his family home. The police accompanied him all the way to his house," he said.

ABOVE: Mohd Sabu was inside his Naza Ria car and BELOW: DAP MP for Batu Gajah Fong Po Kuan was present to lend a helping hand

It is learnt that the Naza Ria utility vehicle in which Mohamad Sabu and his family were in was blocked by three police vehicles at a junction to a shopping mall in Ipoh at 5pm.

ABOVE: They wanted to handcuff him with hands at the back but he protested and BELOW: a final farewell to those present, he was bundled into the Police car

Tian Chua was picked up by a Bukit Aman CID team in Johor Baharu as he was leaving the office of non-governmental organisation Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) in Taman Skudai Baru at about 5pm. A PKR source said Tian Chua had stepped out of the office to get something from his car when he was approached by four police personnel with a warrant for his arrest. Tian Chua had written in his blog that he was in Johor to attend a Human Rights programme organised by Suaram Johor Baharu. He was taken to the Johor Baharu Utara police station before being brought here at 5.40pm. Johor Chief Police Officer Datuk Hussin Ismail confirmed Tian Chua's arrest but declined to elaborate= == = == = == = ==

Malaysian police arrest 8 at lawyers' march

Posted: 09 December 2007 1545 hrs
Lawyers march with a banner during a rally in Kuala Lumpur

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian police on Sunday broke up a human rights march staged by lawyers and arrested eight people, in the latest crackdown on public protests after two major rallies last month. The Bar Council last week cancelled its plans to hold a march to mark International Human Rights Day, in light of the crackdown on street rallies that drew thousands and were suppressed with tear gas and water cannons. But 40 lawyers and supporters defied the decision and walked past Kuala Lumpur's landmark Independence Square, holding a banner reading: "Lawyers for freedom of assembly together with the people".

They were outnumbered by more than 300 police officers who used loudhailers to order them to disperse, and then arrested five prominent lawyers and two other demonstrators.

A police spokesman said another lawyer was arrested for preventing the removal of human rights banners from outside the Bar Council's building nearby. "Firstly, the demonstrators did not have a permit to be here," police superintendent Hamzah Ismail told AFP. "And because the lawyers and demonstrators failed to leave after repeated warnings to disperse, we had to take action," he said. Most demonstrators dispersed soon after the arrests but there was a heavy police presence in the area for several hours. "Authorities seem to be upset by any visible signs of protest and I think this is a problem with the country," said lawyer Sivarasa Rasiah, who is also a leader of the Keadilan opposition party. "They don't seem to be able to deal with peaceful dissent," he told AFP before he was arrested.

ABOVE: Walk Organiser Latheefa Koya arguing with the Police Officer and BELOW: being escorted away

Organiser Latheefa Koya,(ABOVE) who was also arrested, said that Malaysians needed to continue to exercise their constitutional right to public assembly. Malaysia's government has been shaken by recent street rallies, including one in early November when 30,000 demonstrators thronged the capital calling for electoral reforms. Later in the month, at least 8,000 ethnic Indians held a rally highlighting what they say is discrimination against the community that makes up eight percent of the population. They called for the dismantling of the system of positive discrimination for Muslim Malays who make up 60 percent of the population and control the nation's political scene. Malaysia's population is 26 percent ethnic Chinese and the community is dominant in business. Indians complain they are left far behind in terms of wealth, education and opportunities. Those detained on Sunday were taken to Kuala Lumpur police headquarters.

ABOVE: Activist N Surendran final wave before being driven away in the Police van:BELOW: another activist taken into the van

AFP/so
== = == == == from Associated Press
Sunday, December 9, 2007 (Kuala Lumpur)

Malaysian police detained seven people on Sunday for holding an illegal human rights rally, lawyers said, criticizing the arrests as an assault on the right to assemble peacefully. The Bar Council, which represents some 12,000 lawyers, had planned a 2.5-kilometer march in downtown Kuala Lumpur as part of a program to mark International Human Rights Day on Monday but called off the event after refusing to seek a police permit.

Any gathering of more than four people in Malaysia requires police approval. However, some 40 people did march Sunday, holding banners that read ''Lawyers for the freedom of assembly'' and ''Government that abuses human rights is terrorist.'' Halfway through their walk, police told the crowd to disperse, said lawyer N. Surendran. As the crowd was breaking up, Surendran said he and three other lawyers and three rights activists were detained. ''It is an outrageous act of trying to stifle people's right to freely assemble,'' he told the Associated Press when contacted on his mobile phone at a police station. He said he believed that police were making an example of them to prevent further street rallies.

Local police chief Che Hamzah Che Ismail (ABOVE) said the detainees were taken in for questioning after ignoring warnings to disperse. Some 200 to 300 policemen were mobilized on Sunday to prevent any illegal rally, he said. Last month, two illegal street demonstrations stunned the normally peaceful country. Some 10,000 ethnic Indians clashed with police in a rally in Kuala Lumpur on November 25 to demand economic equality. Two weeks earlier, thousands of people marched in the city to seek electoral reforms. Police used tear gas and chemically laced water to disperse the protesters. The government has since warned it may invoke a security law allowing indefinite detention without trial to prevent further demonstrations.

== = == == ==December 09, 2007 10:54 AM

4 Lawyers, 4 Activists Held For Participating In Illegal March
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 9 (Bernama) -- Police detained four lawyers and four activists for taking part in an illegal march at Jalan Tun Perak here this morning. They started the march from the Sogo Shopping Complex at Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman to the Bar Council building at Jalan Raja here. Dang Wangi Deputy OCPD Supt Che Hamzah Che Ismail said they were arrested under Section 27 (5) of the Police Act 1967 for illegal assembly. He said the lawyers and activists were taken to the Kuala Lumpur police contingent headquarters for questioning. "The organiser did not apply for a police permit to hold an assembly. The lawyers and activists also defied police orders to disperse," he told reporters.

A group of 50 people including lawyers, activists, bloggers and members of non-governmental organisations started gathering in front of the shopping complex since 7.30am. The gathering is not only unlawful as they did not have a police permit but they had also snubbed the Bar Council's decision to cancel the assembly very much earlier. The marchers, wearing surgical masks, started their "Peace Walk" half-an-hour later, passing through Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman towards the Bar Council building, about 2km away, to mark World Human Rights Day tomorrow. About 100 policemen were seen stationed along Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman till Jalan Raja as early as 7am to ensure the situation was under control. However, there was some commotion when police ordered them to disperse as they were passing through Jalan Tun Perak in front of the old court building.

Irked by the police order, an argument ensued between the marchers and policemen, leading to the arrest of the lawyers and activists. In the midst of the argument, some members of the group proceeded to walk to the Bar Council building. Meanwhile, Bar Council president Ambiga Sreenavasan said she was disappointed with the police for detaining eight people, including four lawyers, for participating in the peaceful walk. She said the people should be given the freedom to assemble peacefully. "I believe it would have been a peaceful march if not for the police

presence," she said. Ambiga was seen at the entrance to the Kuala Lumpur police contingent headquarters at about 10.30am presumably to negotiate the release of the eight people detained. However, she was denied entry as police did not want her to interfere with investigations.

= = === = == == = == = == Aliran condemns police action
Lawyers, activists arrested: Innocent victims of a brutal state

Sunday, 09 December 2007

Aliran deplores the thoughtless and mindless reaction of the state against any democratic expression of our constitutional rights to exert our freedom. We are appalled that even a small gathering of marchers to a nearby destination in an orderly manner without obstructing the traffic or causing any chaos to the public cannot be allowed or tolerated by this oppressive regime. If this little act of a democratic principle cannot be exercised in a responsible manner, can we pretend to be a democratic country any longer?

This state abuse of our fundamental rights shames the country and condemns the leaders as hypocrites. Aliran calls upon the government to immediately and unconditionally release all those brave Malaysians who have been unjustifiably detained. In the eyes of the ordinary Malaysians, they are innocent victims of a brutal state that does not respect the principles of democracy.
P Ramakrishnan; President; 9 December 2007

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December 09, 2007 17:57 PM
No Double Standard In Enforcing The Law On Law Breakers - Abdullah

ABOVE: PM Abdullah interpretation “no favouritism whatsoever on this matter” for all who flout the law but some are exempted

PETALING JAYA, Dec 9 (Bernama) -- The Government does not practise double standard when taking action on law breakers even if they are lawyers, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Sunday. "Even today I've been informed that police have arrested eight people(including four lawyers). Even though they are lawyers, if they break the law, definitely action will be taken against them.

"There is no favouritism whatsoever on this matter," he told reporters after giving away prizes to golfers participating in the MasterCard-ntv7 Platinum Golf Masters 2007 Charity Grand Finals at Saujana Golf Club in Subang, near here. Abdullah, who is also Internal Security Minister, was responding to reporters' questions on the arrests of four lawyers and four activists at Jalan Tun Perak in Kuala Lumpur this morning for participating in an illegal march. A group of 50 people, including lawyers, activists, bloggers and members of non-governmental organisations, wearing surgical masks, staged a "Peace Walk" to mark World Human Rights Day tomorrow.

They had earlier gathered in front of the Sogo Shopping Complex before walking through the busy?????????? Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman to the Bar Council building at Jalan Raja, about 2km away. The group has not only violated the law for not having a police permit to hold an illegal assembly, they have also snubbed the Bar Council's decision to cancel the assembly very much earlier.

Abdullah said the police took appropriate action in tackling today's illegal assembly as the participants had defied the law, "They did not obey the law, they still want to protest and they acted in defiance of the law. Definitely, the police have to take action in accordance with the law," he said. The Prime Minister said anti-government actions and defiance of the law must stop as they were of no benefit to the country and the people. "They are not our culture. These are not the ways we should emulate," he said. Asked on the Indian government's move to steer clear from the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), Abdullah said he appreciated very much the Indian government's stand. The Prime Minister said Malaysia enjoyed cordial relations with India based on mutual respect between two friendly and sovereign nations. "Furthermore, it is based on the understanding that a country's domestic problem is the sovereign right of that country to take action in accordance with the rule of law and constitutional provisions."Therefore, I appreciate very much the Indian government's stand," he added.Earlier, Abdullah received donations totalling RM500,000 from the charity golf tournament for the Taman Bakti Children's Home in Kepala Batas and the Mentally Retarded Children's Welfare Association in Seberang Prai Tengah. Abdullah is the Member of Parliament for Kepala Batas.
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This is outrageous!", Bar screams over arrest of Edmund Bon Contributed by Web Reporter
Sunday, 09 December 2007, 01:25pm
KUALA LUMPUR, Sun: The Chairman of the Bar Council's Human Rights Committee, Edmund Bon was arrested after stopping some officers from the Kuala Lumpur City Council (DBKL) from removing banners and placards hung on the premises of the Bar Council Secretariat about 12.15 this afternoon. Earlier, the Bar Council had decided to cancel the walk from SOGO to the Bar Council Secretariat in conjunction with the International Human Rights Day which falls tomorrow. The Council then decided to hold the celebration indoor at the Bar Council Secretariat. Banners and placards were also hung outside the building as well at the perimeter of the car park next to the building which was rented for this purpose. Some of these banners were carried by members during the September 26 Walk for Justice. Then about 12.05pm, a team of officers from DBKL led by one Kulasegaram arrived and said the banners and placards had to be removed because they were put up without any permit. Edmund was then seen trying to explain to him that these banners and placards were hung on private property and asked whether Kulasegaram had any warrant to enter the premises. Bar Councillor Roger Tan who had also just arrived then tried to persuade Kulasegaram to exercise restraint and to allow the celebrations to continue as these banners and placards would be removed by 3pm. Tan also said the Council had already cancelled the walk in good faith, and there was no need to mar the celebrations and aggravate the situation by resorting to this means.

However, the unreasonable Kulasegaram and his officers nevertheless went ahead to forcibly remove the banners and placards. Other members of Bon's committee together with the Executive Officer, Rajen tried stopping them shouting, "This is private property, and we reserve our rights against DBKL and each of you". One of the banners removed was totally harmless advertising about the Pesta Masakan Warisan. The DBKL officers then took the banners and placards away. It was at this time that the indignant Bon went back to the steps of the Secretariat shouting in the presence of the press that DBKL had no right to enter our premises as it is private property. "Itu adalah hak kita", Bon said. Bon was also heard inviting the senior police officer who was standing there, "Come, don't do that. Come and celebrate with us. There is nasi lemak and mee goreng inside." Shortly thereafter, a police officer walked towards Bon and wrapped his arms over Bon and said, "You are under arrest".

ABOVE: Bon telling the DBKL Officer to back-ff and then BELOW: a police officer walked towards Bon and wrapped his arms over Bon and said, "You are under arrest".

A visibly shaken Bon's mother who was in the Auditorium located on the 1st floor then rushed down but Bon was already whisked away in a police car with a huge crowd of pressmen and lawyers running behind. The patrol car followed by another 2 unmarked police vehicles sped away with sirens screening. Bon was sent to Ibu Pejabat Kontinjent Kuala Lumpur and there the Web Reporter understands he was met by the President of the Malaysian Bar, Ambiga Sreenevasan who was there visiting those lawyers who were arrested earlier in the morning for taking part in the walk from SOGO to the Bar Council Secretariat.

When contacted, Ambiga (ABOVE) said "this is outrageous and I am in a state of utter disbelief at what has happened."

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ABOVE: The Attorney General Ghani Patell was working overtime on a Sunday 9 Dec 07 (BELOW) in Kuala Trengganu charging the Group of "rioters" in the Sep 8 Batu Buruk incident. More details in next post

= == = == == == == Watch, the Video Clip (3.24 mins) On

Police killed the Festival Human Rights March - 9 Dec 07

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