Cops outnumber People: 5 to 1
ARRESTED: Bar Council Human Rights Chief & Deputy
UPDATED VERSION. Bar Council's 'Festival of Rights' in conjunction with UN's World Human Rights Day ended with its Human Rights Committee chair and his deputy arrested by the Police today.
On the other hand, about 600 people turned up for the leisurely walk this morning. Among them, five hundred -- and one helicopter -- were cops.
The walk, not organised by Bar Council, was about three kilometer from Sogo in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman leading to the Bar Council building along Lebuh Pasar Besar.
8 + 1 arrested
Before the indoor festivities at the Bar Council building started, 8 people were arrested -- four practising lawyers, three activists from NGOs, and one who looked like career agent provocateur.
Among the lawyers arrested on the streets -- as they were about to disperse on Police orders -- were Bar Council Human Rights Committee deputy chair Amir Hamzah Arshad, N. Surendren, senior counsel R. Sivarasa and his colleague, Latheefa Koya.
Nabbed among the NGOs were Eric Paulsen (non-practising lawyer), Anthony Andu and Noor Aza Othman.
Watch the video clip from Malaysiakini.tv:
Midway through the festivities held indoor, Bar Council Human Rights Committee chair, Edmond Bon, was arrested about 12.15 this afternoon for allegedly obstructing law enforcers from carrying our their duty.
Edmund Bon, Bar Council Human Rights Committee Chair
The DBKL enforcers demanded Bar Council to take down some banners. However, Bon appealed that the council had called off all outdoor activities and all functions were being held indoor, and the banners were put up on Bar Council's premises.
He was then arrested by Police who accompanied the DBKL personnel.
Picture courtesy Bar Council
President of the Malaysian Bar, Ambiga Sreenevasan said "this is outrageous and I am in a state of utter disbelief at what has happened."
She labelled Bon's arrest as "bullying tactics" by the police.
She said today the Bar Council would meet tomorrow to decide whether to file a suit against the Datuk Bandar of Kuala Lumpur and his officers who entered the Bar's premises this afternoon without a warrant and removed human rights banners and placards from its premises.
"It really emphasises what we are trying to say on human rights, why it is so important," she said.
"In my view, this is a sad day for human rights in Malaysia. What should have been a celebration has really turned into a very sad day, unnecessarily so," she added.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Sunday that the Government does not practise double standard when taking action on law breakers even if they are lawyers.
At the time I blogged this, all of them have not been released.
ALL-BLOGS committee members and friends were present to witness the human crowd and monitor the situation around Sogo, Bar Council and IPK Kuala Lumpur.
Read what these citizen journalists chronicled in their first-hand account of the walk and the Police arrests, and contrast them with what the mainstream media have to print in tomorrow's papers.
[ See Rocky's Bru, Nuraina A. Samad, Maria A. Samad, Tony Yew (with 5 YouTube videos), Bernard Zorro Khoo, Shanghai Fish, Shar101 O.B.E.... and People's Parliament. ]
Weep for Malaysia
I believe those who turned up today had made it there for a cause they believed in
No throwing of bricks, no water cannons, no tear gas,. But silently, many wept for Malaysia.
When the sun rises again, tomorrow shall observe UN's World Human Rights Day.
Pictures are available on Suzanne Lee's gallery.
BREAKING NEWS: BERSIH folks arrested
At the IPK, lawyer Jonson Chong told me that Bersih Rally protester Mohd Azri Ahmad has been detained at Dang Wangi police station. Soon after, another lawyer SMSed me that one Muhammad Harith Fathillash Shahabudin was also nabbed for being involved in Bersih Rally.
Much later, I was told PAS vice president Mohamad Sabu was arrested attending his daughter's wedding in Ipoh.
UPDATES: How Mat Sabu was nabbed, with a convoy chase from Ipoh to Butterworth after a standoff at the Tambun Toll. Read Penarikbeca's blog.
UPDATES: PKR Information Chief Tian Chua has been arrested in Johor Baru.
UPDATES: Meanwhile, Elizabeth Wong of Parti Keadilan Rakyat's Information Bureau rebuked a TV3 report at 8 o'clock claiming that Tian Chua has been released on police bail.
"At 8:24 pm, Tian Chua sent a text message, stating that he was about to reach Nilai in a police car, and was heading towards the Jalan Stadium Police lockup," Wong said in statement issued at 10:32pm.
Comments
Sad day indeed. This is to be expected in a one party state. hindu extremist are put behind bars, but nobody can dislodge the extremist within UMNO.They are, after all, above the law.
They rob and cheat the masses, financially and spiritually. A day will come, if not in this life, then in the next, when things will even out.
Posted by: sydput![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jeffooi.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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December 9, 2007 03:45 PM
How irony it is.
Yes, I weep.
yc
Posted by: yc![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jeffooi.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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December 9, 2007 06:11 PM
My Dear Malaysians,
The Crackdown has begun. The arrogant powers to be will now squash any uprising (no matter how innocent or peaceful it looks).
The more they try supress the more the uprising they'll see.
My dear Malaysians, let unite as one and show the powers to be of our unified power.. 'People Power'
Peace Out
XeGa
Posted by: xega![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jeffooi.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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December 9, 2007 06:47 PM
BTW, shame on SUHAKAM for being spineless cowards in bringing justice to these atrocities by the powers to be.
Not a single useful action from them, but yet they parade as the 'check and balance' for human rights in this country and dare claim everything is OK.
Shame on them for selling out their own countrymen.
Wish the world sees such in-humane menaces done by our powers to be in this country.
PeaceOut,
XeGa
Posted by: xega![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jeffooi.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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December 9, 2007 06:53 PM
May I suggest we do the rally this way:
1. Form no more than 5 persons in a team. (or 4, depend on the size that is allowed by government).
2. This small team recruit another small group and went separate way.
3. Each group continue recruit and may be one as leader, one hold banner, or more.
Make sure the group went different ways. Cover the entire KL area, from road to road. Everywhere. If possible all should report to a central place via SMS to report their status.
I think by doing this "BitTorrent" way, or Peer to Peer way, we can bypass the illegal gathering more than X number of people. Each group should not do harm. Just for peaceful purpose.
Think of that direction... just a thought.
Posted by: patriotic1994![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jeffooi.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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December 9, 2007 09:12 PM
Penangkapan Mohamad Sabu,updates in BM here.
Posted by: penarikbeca![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jeffooi.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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December 9, 2007 10:11 PM
aren't you surprise that President of the Malaysian Bar, Ambiga Sreenevasan chickened out at the last minute? probably the govn pressure was "too much" for her individully ...
if that's the case, let someone else lead the bar ... it's not normal to have other lawyers proceed with the walk while the president was not involved, no?
Posted by: StockTube![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jeffooi.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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December 9, 2007 10:50 PM
civil disobidience but must really create impact
Boikot the print media
Boikot all products advertised thru electronic media
Start with f n f
Time 2 Change- t2c
Posted by: Jaymee![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jeffooi.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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December 9, 2007 10:51 PM
What a Sunday - DAY of ARREST!. 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 but some sre still privileged.
However, 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 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”
Apart from the 9 arrested in Sunday’s Peace Walk, 14 Involved with Bersih Rally including PAS Mohd Sabu & PKR Tian Chua were also taken in.
More details
Go H E R E
and More pics
Posted by: mwt![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jeffooi.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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December 9, 2007 11:28 PM
I saw from Malaysia-Today's RPK article saying why Bar Council canceled the march.
"Finally, the SMSess said that PERKIDA and not HINDRAF is planning the gathering in Kampong Baru on 16 December 2007. And because of these SMSess the Bar Council cancelled its march today, worried that the march would be infiltrated by PERKIDA elements who might hijack the march to trigger race riots."
Full context: http://www.malaysia-today.net/nuc2006/barred.php?itemid=968
Posted by: patriotic1994![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jeffooi.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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December 9, 2007 11:40 PM
Dear All,
Since Im not in Malaysia for now, perhaps i saw things differently. I cant draw any conclusions but I feel this is form of strategy in works.
Please examine the sequence of events:
1. Events triggers racial or religious sentiments, It was public vs the authorities. It does not matter whos right or wrong, but these are the 2 parties.
2. Event draws anger & attracts attention from opposition & other ngo's to help the victims.
3. The victims & others attempt to voice out their concerns by more means than writing to a paper that never publishes them.
4. Peaceful rallies took place, & some turned ugly. Only Public & others were blamed.
5. Some key people were held by the authorities and a different version was painted in the local media, totally in contrast with what others will watch & read.
6. Keywords carefully crafted to relate a race & organization even when theres not enough time to start an investigation.
It looks like the government is very calm and has answers to everything, just like a football playbook.
It also seems that malaysians, especially the ethnic related are disunited with several potential leaderships. This does not guarantee a landslide success.
Could this be a strategy to unite and secure a landslide victory?
Question is, if this is a way, it may not be surprising, it has happened before, but this method has tremendous drawbacks, If its not stopped by the ones that was responsible for it, it will spun out of control, this time economically.
What they fail to understand is that others will start meddling with Malaysia's affairs, as how Malaysia meddled with others.
Some key statistics:
1 Bil indians worldwide
1.2 Bil Chinese worldwide
Anyone knows how many Malays worldwide?
These guys will have direct impact on us in Malaysia very very soon, if they choose so.
Either way, this is not a game to play.
Posted by: tjwork![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jeffooi.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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December 10, 2007 04:20 AM
Weep for the end of Human Rights for Malaysia? It is more than a weep. It is a funeral! Someone good at drawing can just draw a funeral for this,
R.I.P
Human Rights in Malaysia
31 August 1957 - 9 December 2007
Do put the words in perspective...
Posted by: patriotic1994![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jeffooi.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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December 10, 2007 12:20 PM
The government seems trying to repeat their grandmother's tactics by just simply arrest ALL the people who against them. We should fight back using some new weapons...
Posted by: Namewee1![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jeffooi.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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December 10, 2007 04:03 PM
I discover this link,
http://www.ibm.com/my/ideasfromibm/index.html when I work.
While we are wilting, Africa is rising. IBM clearly pointed out "Africa Rising".
Sorry for off-topic...
But I hope our government can recognize the loyal 600 Malaysians who wake up early in the morning on 9 Dec 2007 to present their "Human Rights Day". Shouldn't their energy be spent on something more productive?
Posted by: patriotic1994![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jeffooi.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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December 10, 2007 05:07 PM