- Lawyers, activists arrested: Innocent victims of a brutal state - P Ramakrishnan, Aliran
- Human Rights Day arrests - police takes off velvet glove to show iron fist - Lim Kit Siang, DAP
- Sunday arrests render hollow Prime Minister's claims of a democratic Malaysia - Anwar Ibrahim
- Crackdown will not deter future mass actions - Elizabeth Wong, People's Justice Party
Lawyers, activists arrested: Innocent victims of a brutal state - P Ramakrishnan, Aliran 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 |
Human Rights Day arrests - police takes off velvet glove to show iron fist - Lim Kit Siang, DAP The high-handed and arbitrary police arrests of eight people, including five lawyers, for the peaceful march to mark the International Human Rights Day in Kuala Lumpur this morning has marred the celebration of Human Rights Day and blotted Malaysia’s international image on human rights. The arrest of the eight, including five lawyers, N Surendran, Latheefa Koya, R Sivarasa, Eric Paulsen and Amer Hamzah, and human rights activists Anthony Andu and Norazah Othman in totally unprovoked circumstances is a great shame for the Abdullah premiership, as the some 100 people who had gathered at Sogo Department store in Kuala Lumpur to march to the Central Market in the federal capital clearly posed no threat to anyone, let alone national security, public order or peace. Why couldn’t the police leave the marchers alone, only taking action if they pose a threat to national order or security, eschewing all forms of police over-reaction which can only add to the list of adverse international publicity which had been piling for Malaysia in recent months. The police arrests of the eight on International Human Rights Day is doubly ominous for it is a clear symbol that the Abdullah premiership, which had started with the false promise of greater respect for human rights, has finally taken off its velvet glove to show the iron fist within to crush expressions of human rights in the country. It makes total nonsense of Royal Police Commission headed by former Chief Justice, Tun Dzaiddin Abdullah which had identified upholding human rights as one of the three core objectives of the Police force in the 21st century – the other two being to keep crime low and to eradicate corruption in the police service. Suhakam has also been calling for a revamp of police mentality on human rights, to transform the police stance of innate hostility to human rights to that of an agent and ally of change to promote and protect the human rights of Malaysians. Clearly, Suhakam’s various proposals to mainstream human rights in police mindset and strategy have fallen on deaf ears. Abdullah has been Prime Minister for four years and is starting his fifth year as Malaysian premier. The institutions, instruments and mentality of repression of human rights have not been dismantled in the past four years of Abdullah premiership, which means that there has been no basic difference from the Mahathir premiership as the draconian laws and powers can be dusted off any time to crack down on human rights and democratic freedoms in Malaysia. The eight arrested today in connection with the Human Rights Day march should be released forthwith and Abdullah should direct the police to undertake a full review of its mindset and modus operandi to ensure that the police are attuned to the Merdeka Constitution and Rukunegara principles which give pride of place to democracy and human rights as important national objectives. I will raise in Parliament tomorrow the high-handed and arbitrary police arrests of the eight on international Human Rights Day and demand a public apology by the police. |
Sunday arrests render hollow Prime Minister's claims of a democratic Malaysia - Anwar Ibrahim The Sunday morning arrest of eight individuals leading a peaceful demonstration in observance of International Human Rights day renders hollow any claims that Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has made as to the laudable condition of Malaysian democracy. On the contrary, the preposterous notion that this assembly of 100 marchers posed any threat to public safety offers incontrovertible evidence that the law is being used in Malaysia to subvert freedom and to suppress the people's fundamental democratic right to peaceful assembly. The individuals who have been detained today are among the most patriotic Malaysian citizens and many have dedicated their life's work to upholding the Rule of Law. In the absence of any evidence that they planned to jeopardize the public's safety, their arrest represents nothing more than scare tactics we have seen used in the past by the Malaysian government as it prepares to unleash the draconian measures of the Internal Security Act. The Malaysian people, however, have expressed their disdain for that law recognizing that it has no place in a country which claims to be democratic. By raising its spectre, the government has hastened its rapid loss of support among the electorate. I call upon the authorities to release all those detained today unconditionally and with immediate effect. I also call upon the government to end its attack on the constitutionally sanctioned right to peaceful assembly. ANWAR IBRAHIM |
Crackdown will not deter future mass actions - Elizabeth Wong, People's Justice Party The arrests of Tian Chua, the Information Chief of the People's Justice Party (KeADILan), Mohamad Sabu, the Vice-President of Pan-Islamic Party (PAS) and 12 other persons associated with the BERSIH rally on 10th November 2007 will not deter future mass actions, said Elizabeth Wong from the KeADILan Information Bureau. Wong, who is also the Information Chief of the Women's Wing of KeADILan, said, "If the government believes its actions will frighten us from exercising our fundamental right to assemble peacefully, they are sorely mistaken." Tian Chua was arrested on Sunday after his presentation at a human rights forum in Johor Bahru, while Mohammad Sabu was arrested amidst his daughter's wedding in Ipoh. Both men have been brought back to Kuala Lumpur under police custody, where they are expected to be charged together with 12 other persons from PAS's Unit Amal for 'illegal assembly' on Monday, 10th December at the Duta Magistrates Court. Wong said, the TV3 report at 8 o'clock that Tian Chua was released on police bail was an outright lie. "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 also slammed the arrests on Sunday morning of lawyers and activists during the march to commemorate World Human Rights Day and the harassment of the Bar Council. Two KeADILan lawyers, R. Sivarasa, its Vice-President and Latheefa Koya, a member of the party's Supreme Council were arrested with 7 other persons. Wong added that the Bureau had received information that another member of the Party's Supreme Council, N. Gobalakrishnan, was also arrested on Sunday and will be brought to the Shah Alam Magistrates Court on Monday, to be the 32nd person charged for attempted murder of a police officer during the HINDRAF rally. "This is the biggest clampdown on democratic voices since Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi took power four years ago. "It is not coincidental that in past weeks, there have been mass arrests and intense harassment, where the government has began their concerted operation to come down hard on all forms of dissent, from BERSIH and HINDRAF to the Bar Council and even bloggers such as Jeff Ooi. "We believe Abdullah Badawi may be desperate enough to order the arrest of Anwar Ibrahim, together with other opposition leaders, Hadi Awang and Lim Kit Siang as they too were present at the Bersih rally," she added. Wong called on the government to respect fundamental human rights, considering Malaysia is a sitting member of United Nations Human Rights Council. "If they are unable to fulfill their obligations in the protection and promotion of fundamental liberties in Malaysia, it is only right that Malaysia seat be vacated in the Council," she said. Elizabeth Wong People's Justice Party |
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