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©The Sun (Used by permission)
By Pauline Puah

PETALING JAYA: The regulation that a police permit is needed to hold an assembly or activity in a public place should be repealed, said Bar Council president Yeo Yang Poh.

"It's time we move towards freedom of assembly," he told theSun, adding that in other countries, an event organiser only needs to notify the police before the event takes place.

Under Section 27 of the Police Act 1967, any assembly, meeting or procession in any public place must get a police permit before proceeding. Anyone found guilty is liable to a fine of between RM2,000 and RM10,000, and imprisonment for maximum one year.

Yeo was commenting on the DAP's race relations forum in Wisma Tun Sambanthan in Kuala Lumpur last Sunday (July 30, 2006), which was cancelled because the venue owner - who had rented the place to the party for past functions and had earlier agreed to let it hold the forum there - later insisted that the organiser present a police permit before the forum could take place.

Citing the Article 11 public forum held in Johor Baru on July 22 (2006), of which the Bar Council is a member, Yeo said it was a good precedent whereby both sides were allowed to assemble and air their views.

"The police had allowed them (both Article 11 and the protesters) to be there although they did not have a permit. The police performed their duty well by taking charge of public order. We've proved that we can do it," he said.

The Article 11 forum held in a hotel went on amid noisy protests outside the building.

Lawyer Ramdas Tikamdas said based on past precedents and experiences, no police permit is needed if the activities were held in a closed-door venue and the participants were registered.

Ramdas, who was the chairman of the Article 11 forum in Johor Baru, said that although under the law, a police permit is needed for an assembly in an open space such as a park, it is against the principle of freedom of assembly guaranteed by the Federal Constitution.

"Freedom of assembly is an integral part of freedom of expression and speech. It's also an essential part of the democratic process. As long as the assembly is for lawful and peaceful purpose, then they should be allowed," he added.

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