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©The Star (Used by permission)

• Eight held in illegal march
• Mat Sabu and Tian Chua picked up
• Lawyers not above the law

KUALA LUMPUR: The Bar Council will lodge a report at the Dang Wangi police station today against City Hall officers for manhandling human rights lawyer Edmund Bon, removing banners placed at the council’s premises and trespassing.

President Ambiga Sreenevasan said the council would write to the Inspector-General of Police to complain about the arrests of several people during its Festival of Rights event.

Bon, the council’s human rights committee chairman, was arrested when he tried to stop City Hall staff from removing banners at an exhibition site.

Ambiga said she went to the police station to find out what was happening and was initially denied access to the lawyers. Subsequently two lawyers were allowed to go in, she said.

Earlier at the opening of the festival, Ambiga called on the Government to set up a group of experts to conduct a study into the grievances of people of all communities who feel they are marginalised.

She said the study should focus on first identifying these groups, and then studying the issue of their access to resources with the ultimate aim of providing recommendations for the uplifting of the quality of their lives.

In celebration of Human Rights Day today, she said, “The Bar Council has been both criticised and praised for cancelling our Human Rights walk.

“With freedom comes responsibility, and likewise with leadership. When we involve the public in our activities, we have a responsibility towards them.” As a result, she said they decided to call off the walk.

“We will never give up on our struggle for our fundamental freedoms. However, this is not only the Bar Council’s struggle, it is everyone’s struggle.”

Eight held in illegal march

KUALA LUMPUR: Police detained four lawyers and four activists for taking part in an illegal march yesterday.

Another lawyer was later detained for obstructing Kuala Lumpur City Hall officers from removing banners from the Bar Council building.

The four lawyers – R. Sivarasa, PKR vice-president; Latheefa Koya, PKR supreme council member; N. Surendran and Amir Hamzah – were arrested as they reached Jalan Tun Perak while Edmund Bon was picked up outside the Bar Council building in Lebuh Pasar.

The four activists detained were Eric Paulsen, Ashraf Ali, Norazah Othman and Anthony Andu.

About 100 lawyers, activists, bloggers and members of non-governmental organisations gathered near the Sogo Shopping Complex at 7.30am and walked to the Bar Council building, about 3km away, where events to commemorate World Human Rights Day were planned. The group held a banner during the walk.

There were also some people, said to be family members of Internal Security Act detainees, with surgical masks with ISA written on them.

When the group reached Jalan Tun Perak, an argument broke out between some marchers and the police, who ordered them to disperse. The police then arrested the eight people.

At least 500 police personnel in uniform and plainclothes from the City police headquarters and the Dang Wangi police station were present. No Federal Reserve Unit personnel or water cannon vehicles were seen.

Dang Wangi deputy OCPD Supt Che Hamzah Che Ismail said the eight were arrested under the Police Act for carrying out an illegal assembly. He said he gave the marchers three warnings before making the arrests.

Supt Hamzah denied that he had given the group permission to march at the beginning and gone back on his approval later.

As at press time, the nine detained had yet to be released.

Mat Sabu and Tian Chua picked up

KUALA LUMPUR: PAS vice-president Mohamad Sabu and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) information chief Tian Chua were among eight people arrested yesterday for alleged involvement in the Bersih rally held last month.

Mohamad, the former Kuala Kedah MP who is also a Bersih committee member, was picked up at 4pm after attending his daughter’s wedding reception near Sunway City in Tambun, Ipoh.

He was escorted to Penang where he was arrested and later taken to Kuala Lumpur.

Tian Chua was picked up at Taman Skudai Baru in Johor at 5pm.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said Mohamad and Tian Chua had been brought to the Kuala Lumpur City police headquarters and would be charged in court today with the others.

Six others were picked up from various parts of the country, including Selangor.

Musa said the court would decide whether to release them on bail or otherwise.

Asked why only Tian Chua and Mohamad were arrested when other political figures were also involved, Musa replied: “Wait and see. I can’t say anything now.”

Mohamad was travelling in a 10-car convoy comprising friends and family members when police stopped his vehicle.

Perak CID chief Senior Asst Comm (II) Ismail Yatim said the PAS vice-president did not resist arrest but remained in his car for an hour.

“He asked that we allow him to drop off his family members at their home in Kepala Batas, Penang, before arresting him,” SAC Ismail said.

Three police cars escorted Mohamad and his family to Penang before the politician surrendered himself.

On Nov 10, the Bersih coalition held an illegal rally at various parts of Kuala Lumpur calling for fair and just elections, before marching to Istana Negara to present a memorandum.

The police had not granted a permit for the rally.

In Penang, about 350 people gathered at Mohamad’s house in Guar Petai, Kepala Batas, after hearing that police would take him there.

Lawyers not above the law

By Zulkifli Abd Rahman

KUALA LUMPUR: Lawyers are not above the law.

Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who issued this reminder, said lawyers participating in illegal activities would have to face the consequences.

The Prime Minister warned that police would enforce the law and take appropriate action against flouters.

Commenting on the arrest of eight people, including four lawyers, for taking part in an illegal march here yesterday, Abdullah, who is also the Internal Security Minister, said:

“I hope those involved in activities that go against the law will stop whatever they are doing.

“Such things are not beneficial to the country and people.”

“This is not our culture,” he told reporters after presenting prizes to winners of the MasterCard ntv7 Platinum Golf Masters event here.

The four lawyers arrested were Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) vice-president R. Sivarasa, PKR supreme council member Latheefa Koya, N. Surendran and Amir Hamzah.

Another lawyer, Edmund Bon, was later detained for obstructing City Hall officers from removing banners from the Bar Council building.

On reports that the Indian government had distanced itself from the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), Abdullah said he appreciated the statement by India’s External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

He said it was important that the strong bilateral relations between both countries be maintained.

“Malaysia and India respect one another, we respect the sovereignty of each other, and both countries understand that they have the right to act on issues based on their respective laws and constitutions,” he added.

Mukherjee was quoted yesterday as saying that India had friendly relations with Malaysia and was in touch with Malaysian authorities on the controversy involving Hindraf.

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