Tough on Terrorism

Published in The Sun Daily
27 April 2012

AS SOON as the Security Offences (Special Measures) Bill (SOSMA) was tabled and passed by the Lower House, serious doubt was raised concerning Pakatan Rakyat's commitment to national security. Some of us were asked if a Pakatan-led government would be soft when dealing with terrorism.

Parliamentary democracy needs to be defended from terrorism, but we must also defend parliamentary democracy from abuses of executive power. Pakatan Rakyat stands for both.

Anti-terrorism laws become dangerous to democracy when they confer powers that are too broad, general and permanent to the executive. We cannot accept the scenario where counter-terrorism measures undermine the very democracy we are trying to protect.

Barisan Nasional is either unable or unwilling to acknowledge this problem. More likely they are acting cynically to preserve power by falsely demonising their opponents as threats to national security.

The demonisation and persecution of opposition politicians and activists, an action admitted to by the BN government was exactly the problem with the Internal Security Act (ISA).

The problem with SOSMA and the amendments to the Penal Code, and Criminal Procedure Code is that they re-bottle the ISA. Indefinite detention without trial via the minister has been replaced with the option of indefinite remand until the attorney-general chooses to file an appeal (as per Section 30, SOSMA).

SOSMA doesn't address terrorism specifically, instead it uses the broad concept of "security offences". There is too much scope for deliberate abuse of this broad definition. A tighter definition is needed to prevent abuse.

The Bar has recommended using the definition of the UN Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism. The definition confines terrorist acts to those specifically intended to cause death or serious bodily injury for the purpose of influencing government actions. Other UN bodies recommend provisions covering hostage-taking and acts intended to cause a state of terror among the general population.

Any use of counter-terrorism powers against those who are not genuinely terrorists must be prohibited. If any other form of criminal activity is at issue then they should be charged according to civil laws consistent with human rights standards.

The reforms that Malaysia needs on counter-terrorism should be consistent with the principle of normalcy, meaning they should not be beyond oversight and review. If compelling reasons require the creation and enforcement of specific powers necessary to combat terrorism, they should be recognised as a unique exception to customary legal constraint and be subject to sunset clauses and regular review by independent monitors.

Additionally, regular review and the use of sunset clauses are best practices helping to ensure that special powers relating to the countering of terrorism are effective and continue to be required, and to help avoid the "normalisation" or de facto permanent existence of extraordinary measures. The latter is what we had under ISA and have once again under SOSMA.

Our laws and policies, including those governing counter-terrorism should be consistent with international human rights standards and the principles of check and balance. SOSMA and related laws as well as Article 149 of the Federal Constitution should be revised or repealed in light of these criteria.

Police should have to apply for exceptional anti-terror powers versus particular, specified terrorist groups, and these should expire after a given period, unless renewed by a bi-partisan parliamentary committee.

A precondition for effective policing of terrorism is an intelligence branch that is focused on tightly-defined terrorism rather than the political opposition, civil society, the arts, or legitimate dissent.

It was unacceptable that we were expected to pass SOSMA and other amendments without being presented with an up-to-date credible threat assessment from our intelligence agencies.

As such, it is disappointing that SOSMA was passed without as much as a consideration to consider the formation of a bipartisan parliamentary committee to monitor counter-terrorism measures and to prevent abuse of any new laws.

All of Malaysia's political parties are invested in national security and are committed to parliamentary democracy. Oversight of national security should be a shared responsibility especially given the history of abuse of exceptional powers by government.

I accept that certain aspects of the enforcement of this law would have to be treated with secrecy. A parliamentary committee that reviews the confidential information would help in convincing doubting public that the authorities are withholding information for good reasons.

Malaysia's previous counter-terrorism policy and laws were a patchwork arrangement which resulted from the unwillingness of the government and British to treat the Emergency as a war. An armed insurgency should have been dealt with via the provisions of the 1949 Geneva Conventions.

National security should be run according to international best practice, and counter-insurgency should be distinguished from counter-terrorism. The two can overlap but we should have different measures to deal with each.
Pakatan Rakyat does not want Malaysia to be a breeding ground for terrorists.

Preventing terrorism should not be understood simply as an "eleventh hour" action for the police. If there is domestic terrorism we need the help of our intelligence services to determine the reasons for it. Government then needs to develop policies and measures to address the root causes.

If the causes involve fundamental failures of government policy, state repression, or the lack of democratic space then government needs to take the responsibility to change its ways provided it is consistent with the constitution and human rights standards.

If the causes are ideologies of extremism incompatible with parliamentary democracy then such organisations or individuals should feel the full force of the law consistent with the principles outlined above.

Damage suffered by victims of terrorism or damage via acts committed in the name of countering terrorism should be compensated through funds from the government.

Finally, anyone arrested by the police should be protected by the provisions in the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

In order to be tough on terrorism we need precise instruments that will address genuine threats while ensuring that parliamentary democracy retains its vibrancy, health and commitment to the highest standards of justice.

What we have once again with SOSMA is wide-ranging permanent powers open to executive abuse. Malaysia deserves the best and Pakatan Rakyat will continue to fight for this goal.

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PRESS STATEMENT by Datuk Ambiga Co- Chairperson Bersih 2.0 steering committee – 1 May 2012

PRESS STATEMENT  by Datuk Ambiga

Co- Chairperson Bersih 2.0 steering committee

1 May 2012

 

On Friday 27 April 2012, Bersih 2.0 made it clear that the Duduk Bantah rally on 28 April 2012 would be a peaceful one. While we viewed and continue to view the court order dated 26 April 2012 obtained by the police, and the barricades to prevent us from entering Dataran Merdeka as illegal, Bersih 2.0's instructions to its supporters were clear – that we would not breach the barricades.

 

The breach of the barricades at Dataran Merdeka on 28 April 2012 came after Bersih 2.0 had declared the rally a success and had given instructions to the crowd to disperse. Bersih 2.0 does not condone the breaching of the barricades, and the parties responsible should account to the public, for their actions.  Apart from the video evidence to date, we are receiving information that there was possibly more going on at the barricades than meets the eye which may have been misleading to the people near them as to whether they could go through.  Nevertheless, we reserve further comment until all the evidence is presented.

 

The more serious issue through, is whether the breaching of the barricades was an excuse for the disproportionate and excessive use of force by the police. The chilling reality is that the brutality shown this year by the police far exceeded the brutality shown last year. The majority of the participants were already dispersing. It was only those who breached the barricades that needed to be policed. The police were therefore only justified in taking reasonable measures to push back the participants beyond the barrier. The police were not justified in firing round after round of tear gas after participants near Dataran Merdeka, along Jalan Tun Perak, Jalan Pudu and as far away as Petaling Street and then beating up those they caught, while at the same time, preventing the participants from leaving the city by not letting the trains stop at the Masjid Jamek LRT station.

 

Despite the violence displayed by the police and the actions of the callous and irresponsible few, these enduring facts cannot be forgotten – a 250,000 strong crowd stood side by side in peace and for a common purpose for hours. They were the young and the old, Malaysians from different backgrounds. They came from the Klang Valley and as far away as Sabah and Sarawak. They came despite the threats by the government, the lack of transportation and the roadblocks placed in their way. And they were not the only ones. Thousands of other Malaysians gathered in Penang, Malacca, Johor, Kuching, Sibu, Miri, Kota Kinabalu and in more than 80 cities around the world. These are the true faces of Malaysia. They are a reflection of the true will and aspirations of Malaysians. No political manoeuvring, retooling of the facts by the mainstream media or allegations of 'hijacking' of the event will change that. Politicians from both ends of the divide ignore this truth to their peril.

 

In advanced democracies where the freedom to assemble is respected, both the organisers and the state have equal responsibility to ensure peace and security.  Yet in this case, the state imposed the entire burden on Bersih 2.0.  We discharged that burden fully and Bersih 2.0 had full control until tear gas was fired.  Once that happened  the burden shifted to the police to handle the situation that they had created. The responsibility became theirs.  It must be noted that all the reported acts of violence that ensued came only after the tear gas was fired.

 

Again I commend the PAS Unit Amal and other security agents who did a sterling job in crowd control.  Above all I commend the rakyat for the discipline and dignity that they showed throughout the rally.  I also state that there were many police on that day who did act with restraint and honour.  But there were others who clearly got a different memo from the top.  They were ruthless and behaved like thugs inflicting maximum damage on the retreating participants.  There were instances when they deliberately instigated the crowd.  They were lawless.    But, the truth will be told.  No matter what the mainstream media may choose to portray, the evidence is emerging.  And SUHAKAM must have an urgent independent inquiry into one of the most extensive acts of violence perpetrated by the authorities upon the people of Malaysia.

 

We too, have questions to ask. Amongst other things, we would also like to know, who gave the orders to come after the participants in that fashion? Who were the officers in Bersih T-shirts in the crowd?  Who were those men in blue who had no identification numbers or names on their uniforms?  Is it true bus loads of people were brought in just to create havoc and if so who brought them in?  How do you do explain the vast difference in the behaviour of the police before and after the firing of tear gas?  What exactly were their instructions?  Why is the government through the mainstream media choosing not to give the whole picture?

 

If Berish 2.0 has to answer questions (and we will readily do so before an independent inquiry), then the government has much more to answer for.

 

So, in response to the Prime Minister's statement that Bersih 2.0 broke its promise, I say no, Mr Prime Minister we did not.  But that day, members of the police force who are entrusted with the responsibility of protecting us, turned on us and betrayed the trust of all peace loving Malaysians.

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Malaysia: Authorities must immediately investigate police brutality at Bersih rally

 

The Malaysian government must immediately order an independent and efficient investigation into police brutality against peaceful protestors at the Bersih 3.0 march for electoral reforms in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, Amnesty International said.

Video footage taken at the demonstrations shows both ordinary police officers and officers from the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU))  acting in groups to brutally beat individual protestors who were effectively already in custody.  Several journalists covering the event were punched or otherwise attacked by police.

Amnesty International calls on the government of Prime Minister Najib Razak to establish an independent investigation into reports of brutality by the security forces at the Bersih rally. 

The police beating of these people constitutes cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, which is in violation of the global ban on torture and other ill-treatment. The use of these repressive tactics also infringed the demonstrators' right to peaceful protest.

Those suspected of engaging in or ordering unnecessary or excessive use of force against protestors and journalists, or of ill-treatment of detainees should be prosecuted – irrespective of their rank - in fair trials. Victims should be provided with reparations.

The investigation should include a thorough review of police tactics during public order policing, with a view to ensuring that they meet international standards, in particular the UN Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials and the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms.

It has been seven years since the 2005 Royal Commission of Inquiry into the police recommended its reform, including the establishment of an independent commission for complaints against the police. Amnesty International calls on the Malaysian government to fully implement this reform to ensure that victims of police brutality have access to justice.

Lance Lattig

Researcher on Malaysia

Amnesty International, 1 Easton Street, London WC1X 0DW

 

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Cell Phone Jammer used during Bersih 3.0

Cell Phone Jamming Device

Jamming devices overpower the cell phone by transmitting a signal on the same frequency and at a high enough power that the two signals collide and cancel each other out. Cell phones are designed to add power if they experience low-level interference, so the jammer must recognize and match the power increase from the phone.

Cell phones are full-duplex devices, which means they use two separate frequencies, one for talking and one for listening simultaneously. Some jammers block only one of the frequencies used by cell phones, which has the effect of blocking both. The phone i! s tricke d into thinking there is no service because it can receive only one of the frequencies.

Less complex devices block only one group of frequencies, while sophisticated jammers can block several types of networks at once to head off dual-mode or tri-mode phones that automatically switch among different network types to find an open signal. Some of the high-end devices block all frequencies at once, and others can be tuned to specific frequencies.

To jam a cell phone, all you need is a device that broadcasts on the correct frequencies. Although different cellular systems process signals differently, all cell-phone networks use radio signals that can be interrupted. GSM, used in digital cellular and PCS-based systems, operates in the 900-MHz and 1800-MHz bands in Europe and Asia and in the 1900-MHz (sometimes referred to as 1.9-GHz) band in the United States. Jammers can broadcast on any frequency and are effective against AMPS, CDMA, TDMA, GSM, PCS, DCS, iDEN and Nextel systems. Old-fashioned analog cell phones and today's digital devices are equally susceptible to jamming.

The actual range of the jammer depends on its power and the local environment, which may include hills or walls of a building that block the jamming signal. Low-powered jammers block calls in a range of about 30 feet (9 m). Higher-powered units create a cell-free zone as large as a football field. Units used by law enforcement can shut down service up to 1 mile (1.6 km) from the device.

The image below is from  facebook: Many Bersih 3.0 participants on the run in streets of KL found that they had problems using their phones, no lines.Did  you know that they carted jammers onto 4WD and parked them along strategic areas to be effective to jam handphones? The BBC and Aljazeera experienced news censorship, one of the many cases of info suppression and destruction of their media hardware. That's how evil and brutal those BN desperados have become. They aren't going off that easily without a fight, a dirty fight!  Watch out GE-13, ...over dead bodies, remember najis swore to it? *******************************************

!

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Explain ‘doctored’ BBC, AlJazeera clips, Astro

KUCHING: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has demanded an explanation from Astro for snipping off 30 seconds of its two-minute news clip on the Bersih 3.0 rally on April 28.

The clip, which was produced by a senior BBC journalist Emily Buchanan, gave a detailed run down on the rally.

It was learnt that ASTRO allegedly broadcasted a doctored-version removing three separate sequences one of which showed a policeman allegedly firing at demonstrators.

The other two sequence were interviews with demonstrators who gave first hand accounts of why they took to the streets demanding for clean and fair elections.

In a statement yesterday, BBC said: "The broadcast of anti-Government protests in Malaysia was apparently edited before it was re-broadcast on Malaysian satellite television, with sequences removed from the original BBC version.

"The BBC is making urgent enquiries to the Malaysian operator, Astro, to establish the facts.

"We strongly condemn any blocking of the trusted news that we broadcast around the world including via distribution partners."

Astro, which is the only satellite channel to be licensed by the Barisan Nasioanl government  is yet to respond to BBC.

Meanwhile it was learnt from Sarawak Report that  Astro had also allegedly 'tampered' with an Al-Jazeera's broadcast of the massive rally in Kuala Lumpur.

The Bersih 3.0 rally last Saturday, saw an unprecedented crowd of over 100,000 rally for electoral reforms.

The rally which was also held simultaneously nationwide and across 35 countries championed Bersih's eight demands for electoral reforms.

Among them is the clean-up of the electoral list. Ten and thousands of names of  non-existent individuals still appear on the list.

The Election Commission, which is supposed to be independent and answerable to the Malaysian parliament, is in fact paid for by the Prime Minister's Department.

It was recently revealed that EC chairman and deputy  are allegedly members of BN lead party Umno.

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BBC investigating Astro for alleged Bersih 3.0 censorship...

Whistleblower website Sarawak Report reported yesterday that the BBC was looking into claims that Astro had doctored one of its news reports on the Bersih 3.0 rally last Saturday.

It highlighted a video uploaded to YouTube comparing the original BBC broadcast and the allegedly censored version shown on Astro.

In its posting, the site details that up to 30 seconds of footage from the report had been removed when aired on Astro.

"Thirty seconds appears to have been cut out of the doctored version on Astro, after the removal of three separate sequences, one which showed a policeman on a motorbike apparently firing at demonstrators.

"The two other sequences that were removed included interviews with demonstrators, explaining why they felt they had to take to the streets to defend the right to fair elections," it said in the article.

The website reports that the BBC issued a statement after being alerted by the website, clarifying that "urgent enquiries" were being made into the matter in order to "establish the facts".

"During the week of World Press Freedom Day, it would be deplorable if access to independent and impartial news was being prevented in any way," said the statement.

Astro has apparently yet to respond to the BBC on the matter.

The report was included in BBC World, one of the channels available! in Astr o. BBC reporter Emily Buchanan produced the two-minute report covering the Bersih rally, according to the website.

Sarawak Reportalso claims that the quality of the editing present in the report broadcasted on Astro indicated it was professional work, suggesting that the cuts were a deliberate effort to cast the Malaysian authorities in better light.

In addition, the report claims that an Al Jazeera report broadcasted on Astro was also tampered with, but did not elaborate on what edits were made.

Astro is the only satellite channel licensed by the federal government and is owned by tycoon Ananda Krishnan, who is said to have close links with Umno.

Sarawak Report was founded by investigative journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown, sister-in-law to former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

BBC siasat dakwaan Astro suai pinda laporan...

Laman Sarawak Report melaporkan bahawa perkhidmatan penyiaran British, BBC sedang menyiasat dakwaan bahawa penyiar berbayar Astro melakukan suai pinda ke atas laporan beritanya berhubung perhimpunan BERSIH 3.0 pada Sabtu lalu.

Laporan berkenaan turut memaparkan satu rakaman video di Y outube yang membandingkan siaran asal BBC dan versi yang didakwa ditapis seperti disiarkan di Astro.

Dalam laporan itu, Sarawak Report menyatakan bahawa sebahagian daripada laporan BBC tersebut, sepanjang hingga 30 saat, dipotong apabila disiarkan di Astro.

Bahagian yang dipotong itu antara lainnya menunjukkan seorang anggota polis menaiki motosikal yang kelihatan melepaskan tembakan ke atas peserta perhimpunan, laporan itu dipetik.

Turut dikeluarkan daripada siaran itu ialah wawancara dengan peserta perhimpunan yang menjelaskan sebab mereka menyertai BERSIH 3.0, menurut laporan itu lagi.

Laporan itu juga menyebut, BBC mengeluarkan satu kenyataan selepas diberitahu mengenai perkara itu oleh laman berkenaan.

Kenyataan tersebut menjelaskan bahawa "siasatan segera" dijalankan ke atas perkara itu untuk mengenalpasti fakta dalam kes berkenaan.


source:malaysiakini

cheers.

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A humble citizen

If only we have more people like her.

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Idiot

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MAS shares to be ‘halted amid tie-up doubt’

KUALA LUMPUR: Shares of Malaysian Airline System (MAS) will be suspended from trading tomorrow, two sources said, amid speculation that the national carrier's proposed US$ 364 million (RM1.1 billion) share swap with AirAsia will be cancelled.

Trading of the stock will be halted due to "a pending corporate announcement," according to one of the sources, who declined to say if the share swap will be scrapped.

The second source said MAS will announce the cancellation of the deal with the budget carrier. Both of the sources have direct knowledge of the proposed share swap.

Speculation that the deal would collapse has grown in recent weeks as the plan encountered strong resistance from the 20,000-strong MAS union, which voiced concern that the tie-up resembled a takeover by AirAsia founder Tony Fernandes and his brand of aggressive cost cutting.

Under the deal announced in August, Tune Air, controlled by AirAsia's Fernandes and his deputy Kamarudin Meranun, would take a 20.5% stake in MAS and two board seats. In exchange, state investment arm Khazanah Nasional, the majority shareholder in MAS, would hold 10% in AirAsia.

The deal, formulated by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and signed last August, was to help both carriers compete effectively against rivals like Tiger Airways and Singapore Airlines once the Southeast Asian open-sky policy comes into effect in 2015.

In February, MAS reported its worst-ever loss of RM2.5 billion (US$ 820 million) for 2011, shocking analysts who had expected the restructuring to limit losses.

MAS and government officials couldn't be reached for comment today because of a national public holiday.

CIMB was the adviser for both companies on the deal, banking sources said.

-Reuters

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Police Brutality cannot be erase

From 5.30pm till 7.30pm Malay Thugs and Police were out for blood.  Many protesters were either waiting for  the LRT stations to re-open or just wanted to eat before heading home when they were marked and beaten, punched senselessly till they collapse.  Was there any justification for the Malay Thugs and Police brutality  when the court order was a ban from Dataran Merdeka only?  Did the court order that protesters cannot rest, wait for transport or even eat after the protest is over?  RapidKL has to answer why all the LRT stations were closed and were only operational at 6.45pm while Masjid Jamek only at 7.45pm, after many protesters were beaten senselessly around the stations. Many people saw what happened, many were threatened for taking pictures and few had their phones confiscated.
So the media, police, politicians and pariah dogs don't  shift the blame on PKR or the protesters.  IT IS THE AUTHORITIES WHO HAS A LOT MORE TO LOSE THAT CREATED THE CHAOS.
IGP should be grilled as to why PDRM was working hand in hand with Perkasa and Malay Thugs to beat up protesters between 5.30pm - 7.30pm. IGP should resign.

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A fine job, a fine mess

Jeswan Kaur | May 1, 2012
Free Malaysia Today

Fooling the rakyat is a trick the BN can no longer use, no thanks to its foolishness in abusing the powers of the police.

COMMENT

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has lauded the police for doing a fine job in handling last Saturday's Bersih 3.0 rally. What really is the premier pleased about: the manner in which the police abused the protesters or the federal government's pathetic attempt at discrediting the rally?

Either way, the premier, who also helms Barisan Nasional, the country's federal ruling political force, is not going to win the rakyat's mandate; sabotaging the April 28 protest speaks of BN's desperation in painting the opposition coalition of Pakatan Rakyat in a bad light.

The Bersih 3.0 protest will go down in history as the day when BN played villian in bringing in "trouble-makers" to turn the protest into a chaotic affair. Let it be said that BN's role in the April 28 incident is not going down well with the true defenders of this nation.

This time, there is no escape for both the Najib administration and the police as protesters of the rally bear witness to the police brutality that was unleashed when they were at the Masjid Jamek area.

Some of them related their ordeal to Bersih at a press conference organised a day after the protest.

Many of the protesters claimed the police carried no name tags or identification numbers on their uniforms when they launched their attacks at about 6pm. The assault lasted for three hours.

These are not wild allegations; pictures of the injuries suffered by the protesters as a result of being beaten by the police are proof that the federal government had no intention of allowing the rakyat to exercise their fundamental right to assemble and voice out their unhappiness.

A protester, Adrian Low, 38, said he was repeatedly stomped on his back even after he was detained. His back still carries the footprints of the police boots.

Another protester, Nurul Amani Faizal, 28, said that 10 male police officers charged at her and beat her.

"They had just fired a tear gas at Masjid Jamek so my friends and I ran in the opposite direction. I wasn't wearing the Bersih T-shirt but I was a rally participant. They caught hold of me and beat me.

"Then one officer slapped me and asked a female officer to arrest me," she said, adding that she sustained injuries in her lower back.

Yet another protester, Mohamad Fazwan Yusoff, 23, sustained bruises to his face and left eye. He was about to leave Masjid Jamek when the police dragged him and assaulted him.

"My friends and I saw the police step on a lady so we went to help her. Suddenly, a group of policemen appeared and attacked us too.

"I don't remember how many charged at me but I was beaten for several minutes and they didn't stop even in the police truck.

"They just continued their assault," he said.

Never-ending police brutality

Bersih steering committee member, Wong Chin Huat, who was also arrested, has said it is not unusual for the police to continue their insults and assaults even after the protesters were detained.

"They only stopped beating me when I fell to the ground; even then, they continued to shout racial insults in the trucks," he had said.

Wong revealed that Bersih were told of policemen who were dressed in yellow Bersih T-shirts while videographing the detainees in the police trucks and detention centres.

So much of violence and this is what the police were congratulated for by Najib?

During last year's Bersih 2.0 rally, the police behaved in just as uncivilised a manner, beating up the protesters. Did the cops then and now received orders from the "powers that be" to teach the rally protesters a painful lesson, literally?

Tear gas and water cannons were fired to disperse the 80,000-strong crowd. The police and protesters clashed for about four hours before police regained control of the city.

With so much evidence at hand, it is only natural that Bersih co-chairperson S Ambiga has called for a full inquiry into the protest to identify "those who created the problem".

"There is too many photographic evidence. When the dust settles, the truth will emerge," she had said.

The peaceful assembly turned violent at about 3pm when some protesters breached the barricades which cordoned off Dataran Merdeka which was identified as the venue for the Bersih 3.0 sit-in protest.

The Kuala Lumpur City Hall had refused permission for Dataran Merdeka to be used as the rally location, coming up with lame reasoning that only national-level events can be held there.

Ironically, the haphazardly passed Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 bars any gathering within 50 metres of "prohibited places" such as hospitals, petrol stations, airports, railway stations, places of worship and schools. Is Dataran Merdeka officially in the list of such "prohibited places"?

Even journalists beaten up

It appears that April 28 was the day the police confirmed the rakyat's worst fear that come what may, the cops will always do what they do best – bash up and insult the people of this country.

It was not just the rally protesters; even journalists on duty were assaulted by the police.

National Union of Journalists (NUJ) general-secretary V Anbalagan condemned the police for attacking reporters covering the Bersih 3.0 protests.

"They [the police] have no business to use violence on media workers who were assigned to carry out a public duty, that is, to provide news coverage, obtain pictures and footages for their audience," he had said in a press statement.

During last Saturday's pandemonium, police charged upon several journalists. Some photographers even saw their cameras and memory cards destroyed after they were seen taking photos of alleged police brutality.

Malaysiakini photographer Koh Jun Lin was arrested and his camera equipment confiscated. Malay Mail confirmed that its photographer Arif Kartono was punched by police and his camera destroyed.

Also roughed up was Al-Jazeera's crew who were left with a damaged camera after they tried to film an officer beating up a protester.

Nanyang Siang Pau, Guang Ming, Channel News Asia and Merdeka Review journalists all suffered similar treament at the hands of the police.

To Anbalagan, such incidents were baffling as up until April 28, the Press-police relations were cordial. Anbalagan could only conclude that the siege on journalists covering the Bersih 3.0 protest was an attempt to prevent the truth from being reported, that of the police taking the law into their hands.

"…is it to confiscate their cameras or other digital equipment which had captured incidents that could have put the police in the bad light of the single most widely followed event on Saturday?"

Anbalagan wants no less than the Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar to come clean on the police brutality and advised all journalists who suffered at the hands of the police to lodge reports.

And Najib says the police did a "fine" job? Fooling the rakyat is a trick the BN can no longer use, no thanks to its foolishness in abusing the powers of the police.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, 1 May 2012, 1:37 pm and is filed under Bersih, Elections, Najib Razak, Police. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0.  

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Malaysia: Authorities must immediately investigate police brutality at Bersih rally

 

The Malaysian government must immediately order an independent and efficient investigation into police brutality against peaceful protestors at the Bersih 3.0 march for electoral reforms in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, Amnesty International said.

Video footage taken at the demonstrations shows both ordinary police officers and officers from the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU))  acting in groups to brutally beat individual protestors who were effectively already in custody.  Several journalists covering the event were punched or otherwise attacked by police.

Amnesty International calls on the government of Prime Minister Najib Razak to establish an independent investigation into reports of brutality by the security forces at the Bersih rally. 

The police beating of these people constitutes cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, which is in violation of the global ban on torture and other ill-treatment. The use of these repressive tactics also infringed the demonstrators' right to peaceful protest.

Those suspected of engaging in or ordering unnecessary or excessive use of force against protestors and journalists, or of ill-treatment of detainees should be prosecuted – irrespective of their rank - in fair trials. Victims should be provided with reparations.

The investigation should include a thorough review of police tactics during public order policing, with a view to ensuring that they meet international standards, in particular the UN Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials and the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms.

It has been seven years since the 2005 Royal Commission of Inquiry into the police recommended its reform, including the establishment of an independent commission for complaints against the police. Amnesty International calls on the Malaysian government to fully implement this reform to ensure that victims of police brutality have access to justice.

Lance Lattig

Researcher on Malaysia

Amnesty International, 1 Easton Street, London WC1X 0DW

 

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Anwar Arah Peserta BERSIH Menghala Jauh Dari Dataran Merdeka

Media fitnah milik UMNO mengatakan Anwar Ibrahim adalah punca Polis menyerang peserta BERSIH. Mereka mendakwa Anwar mengarahkan peserta BERSIH merempuh halangan dan bergerak menuju ke Dataran Merdeka. Malangnya, video di bawah menunjukkan Anwar Ibrahim mengarahkan peserta bergerak arah ke kanan. Anwar dilaporkan berkata:

"Jangan pusing kiri (arah Dataran Merdeka), pusing kanan (arah Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman)"

Di waktu itulah Polis mula menyerang peserta2 BERSIH dengan air asid dan gas pemedih mata. Yakni sewaktu peserta-peserta BERSIH sedang siap sedia untuk bersurai dan menuju Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman. Saksikanlah video di bawah dan buat penilaian sendiri

TULANG BESI

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BBC flays local censors for slashing Bersih coverage

By Clara Chooi
The Malaysian Insider
May 01, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, May 1 — The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has "strongly condemned" Malaysian censors, claiming their coverage of Saturday's Bersih 3.0 protest had been clipped on local operator Astro.

"During the week of World Press Freedom Day, it would be deplorable if access to independent and impartial news was being prevented in any way.

"We would strongly condemn any blocking of the trusted news that we broadcast around the world including via distribution partners," a BBC spokesman in a statement emailed to The Malaysian Insider.

The British public service broadcaster added that it was making "urgent enquiries" to Astro to seek its reasons for censoring its two-minute coverage of the violent protest.

"The BBC is making urgent enquiries to the Malaysian operator, Astro, to establish the facts.

"The broadcast of anti-Government protests in Malaysia was apparently edited before it was re-broadcast on Malaysian satellite television, with sequences removed from the original BBC version," it said.

According to the YouTube link available in the statement, BBC's coverage of Bersih 3.0 had been shortened by several seconds to exclude clips of short interviews with two protesters.

The video showing the difference between BBC's original report and the one aired on Malaysian channels can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTGogMq9NZ0

In the first censored interview, a man, believed to be Chinese, had told the BBC that the police were firing tear gas arbitrarily at protesters despite efforts to negotiate.

"They fired a shot at us and instead of saying sorry, we know it was an accidental shot, they shot some more we were about to talk and make peace and negotiate but they shot at us," he said.

In the next interview, an Indian man had explained his reason for joining the rally for free and fair elections, which had turned violent at nearly 3pm on Saturday.

"I'm here to see that we have free and fair elections. That's all.

"We want the Election Commission (EC) to be independent and clean. At the moment, it is not clean. Okay? So I have to stand here because this is a day of destiny for Malaysians," he said, amid a backdrop of hundreds standing before the barricades surrounding Dataran Merdeka.

Local TV operators had also slashed another portion of BBC's report, which showed scenes taken from above of the riot police's fire-red water cannon trucks firing chemical-laced water at protesters.

A part of the BBC correspondent Emily Buchanan's words were also clipped along with the scene.

"It's not entirely clear how the violence started," she had said in the portion of the clip that was aired.

"… but after the rally was declared a success and people began to go home, the barriers were breached…," she said in the censored portion.

"… and the authorities fired tear gas at the crowds," she continued, as the scene continued.

Saturday's opposition-backed rally has already received negative coverage in the foreign media, which have predicted a likely backlash for the Najib administration.

According to BBC, "despite the massive turnout, the government appears to be in no mood for change and there could be an election in June, too soon for major reforms to take effect.

"That means many more political battles ahead."

In the days following the event that had become more violent than last year's, Bersih 3.0 supporters and government leaders have been engaged in a blame game over who was to blame for the numerous altercations that took place between protesters and the police.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, 1 May 2012, 3:33 pm and is filed under Bersih, Elections, Media. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0.  

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Watching helplessly as citizens get abused

by A Hindraf supporter

This is not my first rally, and I doubt it will be my last. I paid an early visit to Dataran Merdeka at around 1.30am on that fateful day, to see for myself the razor-wired barricades the police were said to have placed around the square.

At that time I saw some police personnel in a truck placing on the lamp posts, what I later learned were possibly the radio jammers used to block mobile phones and Internet access during the rally.

I was happy to see that the wires were not placed in a pyramid fashion (two rolls on the ground, with one more on top sitting on the groove between the lower two), and that the wires were not securely fastened to the metal brackets, and in fact were casually looped over the fastening clasps. This meant that they could be removed quickly if needed.

But I was worried that if the crowd were to surge, protesters in front may fall on the wires and suffer nasty injuries. I made a mental note to make my way near the wire during the rally, and be ready to act if necessary.

The easiest way to cross a firmly fixed razor-wired barricade is by throwing over it a covering material like a canvas or a heavy carpet. But the way the wire was placed meant that by releasing the wire from the hooks, it will collapse like an accordion, at least in theory. (The police are no fools, and they would have known that the wires could be easily removed.)

The next morning, I made my way to Masjid Jamek at around noon, and waited there for my friend J, a first-timer. I will not say much on what has been said about the carnival-like air, and the spirit of togetherness that everyone there felt. But I will add this much. If you have ever wondered what it means to truly feel like a Malaysian, and to be happy and safe among your fellow citizens, make your way to the next Bersih rally, I kid you not.

Once J arrived, we made our way to the barricades, standing at the grey metal TNB box right at the corner of Tun Perak and Raja. The only point of contention, I felt, was the unnecessary "entrances" by MPs and state assemblymen, with their entourage.

If they had any sense, they would have entered en masse, just like Anwar Ibrahim, Chegubard, S Ambiga, Nurul Izzah Anwar did on the truck, to lessen the danger to the masses who had to make way for them time and again, and could not accomplish the "duduk" part of the rally for more than a couple of minutes at a time.

Police backlash

I will exempt Karpal Singh from this, who also got the loudest cheer, as that man has always been a true lion, and because he is in a wheelchair.

The politicians could not have influenced the crowd beyond their immediate surrounding, as those of us standing less than 10 metres from them could nary hear a word they said, even with the loudhailers. That should give you an idea of the background noise created by a couple of hundred thousand, happy people.

I believe that any attempt at breaching the barricades, and reclaiming Dataran Merdeka for the people, must only be made after 4pm, after the regular folk have made their way home, to save them from the police backlash.

One crucial sign that the police had other plans was when those manning near Masjid Jamek, crawled out of the area in their trucks, at around 2 pm. While the crowd good-naturedly jeered them, the cops were seen smiling back. But, for the life of me, I could not figure out why every single one of them was pulled out. It was a major warning sign, just like the loosely placed razor wires, and radio jammers.

When the breach happened, I knew something was up, as it seemed too easy, and there were no cops seen rushing in to stop the breach. I relied on instinct and shouted myself hoarse trying to keep the people from stampeding into Dataran Merdeka, and surprisingly it worked.

A few young lads were confused when an Indian man shouted at them to wait, and not move. Because they stopped, the rows behind them stopped as well.

I told J to follow so we could make sure everything was okay, and I immediately saw the water

cannons being put to work. As we tried to organise the confused supporters to sit on the road outside the barricades, thinking that the police will only try to reclaim the ground they were occupying, the first round of tear gas canisters landed.

I quickly got my handkerchief and soaked it with the vinegar J had brought, and spent the next 20 minutes trying desperately to leave no one behind. I saw one young man who was just overwhelmed lying on Jalan Tun Perak, but I could not go back to help him. The FRU personnel were within spitting distance, and my blood boiled when I saw them shoot canisters after canisters right into the crowds.

Fight not over

I will say this: the first time you get gassed is the worst, and I have been gassed quite a few times, and you can function, if you keep your wits about you. Just know that the effects will pass after a few minutes.

People were panicking, and some were climbing and squeezing through the metal grills at the court to escape. You cannot imagine the helplessness you will feel, and the anger, at seeing your fellow citizens being abused so, by those who should be protecting them.

One pakcik, who looked like he would not hurt a fly, grabbed a rolling canister which was spewing the vile smoke, and lobbed it right back at the FRU, and for a while I was laughing at how things could change in the blink of an eye.

I also had to make sure that the pakcik did not fall into their hands. Walking backwards, so I could keep an eye on the FRU, as well as use my voice to guide the stragglers, I finally saw the FRU retreat around the corner, and we had a brief respite.

I spent the next half hour directing traffic near Wisma Char Yong, and directing them away from where the gas was being fired, with a couple of others. While RapidKL is talking about suing Bersih 3.0, the Metrobus drivers were gamely picking up people, and were driving through Leboh Ampang, even through the smoke, so that at least some people could leave the area in safety. Hats off to them.

There was no way we could have left the area. The trains were not running, and we could see the water cannons targeting the very places where people had been trapped. The police gave no quarter, and if the people had to fight back, then it is because they had no place to escape.

You would have read of the brutality, and the aggression by the police, and that is all true. As someone who has seen them in action many times before, understand this: never trust a Malaysian cop with your life.

Apart from the Metrobus drivers, the ambulance personnel were also performing amazing work. I could not fathom how a system which produces such heartless policemen, can also produce medics who parked their ambulances right in the midst of tear gas and waterjets to get to the wounded.

The Bar Council lawyers also did not abandon the people, and I salute them.

One final point needs to be made about Bersih 3.0. While the crowd was multiracial, the number of Indian Malaysians there was below the numbers they represent in the populace. And a lot of the blame for the apathy of the Indians has to be placed on the Hindraf leaders, who have lost all direction and can no longer separate right from wrong.

To my fellow Malaysians, I have this to say: the fight to save the country is not over yet, and while we may have to take body blows along the way, remember that we are not all that different. This is a blessed country, we just have to clean it up a bit.

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Rasah PKR leader arrested

PETALING JAYA: A Rasah PKR deputy divisional leader was arrested at midnight for what is believed to be an offence related to the Bersih 3.0 rally.

R Thanggam, 50, a businessman, was among the 100,000 people who attended the Bersih 3.0 rally in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.

PKR vice-president N Surendran (picture left) confirmed this.

"The police sent many officers to Thanggam's house in Seremban and arrested him at midnight in a high-handed manner," Surendran said.

He added that Thanggam, married with six children, was not told of the offence that he had allegedly committed and under what law he was detained.

"He was brought to the Dang Wangi district police headquarters in the middle of the night.

"I heard he was transferred to Jinjang district police headquarters this morning and the police would obtain a remand order," Surendran said when contacted this morning.

Surendran, who is also lawyer, criticised the arrest, saying it was "a propaganda" move.

"It's a propaganda to make the political opposition look like the aggressors.

"There is clear evidence of police beating up the public and we don't hear them [the police] being arrested," he said.

He added that a legal aid team has been sent to assist Thanggam.

Meanwhile, a magistrate's court has allowed the police to further remand Thanggam for three days.

Surendran, who is also Thanggam's lawyer, said that magistrate Aznil Mustapha allowed the remand order under section 440 of the Penal Code.

The section deals with penalty for mischief in preparation to cause death or hurt.

Surendran said the remand order was wrong.

"We'll challenge the order," he added.

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UMNO/APCO BARU YANG KECUNDANG

Seperti biasa Brahim Ali akan berkokok selepas setiap acara berkaitan Pakatan dilaksanakan dengan jayanya. Biarlah mereka kata yang hadir hanya 30,000 tetapi sebenarnya melebihi 300,000. Jumlah ini sememangnya menyebabkan UMNO/APCO Baru kecut perut. Kesemua mereka ini anti-UMNO/APCO Baru-BN. Sampai bila-bila pun mereka tidak akan menyokong komponen parti itu. 

Brahim begitu yakin rakyat akan menyokong Najib atas apa-apa yang berlaku pada 28 April 2012 itu.  Dia tidak tahu bahawa UMNO/APCO Baru sedang sesak nafas sekarang ini. Semuanya gara-gara kekejaman polis terhadap peserta BERSIH 3.0 pada hari itu.

Perihal penglibatan polis berpakaian t shirt Bersih/SB berada dalam kalangan pendemonstran tersebar dengan lebih rancak melalui pelbagai cara setengah jam sebelum gas pemedih mata dan air berkimia dilepaskan. Gambar-gamber mereka yang membaling objek kepada polis juga dapat ditonton walaupun ada gangguan. Mereka ini disoalsiasat oleh orang ramai. Namun, tiada pergaduhan.  Kami sudah menduga perkara tak elok akan berlaku dan bersiap sedia untuk menghadapinya. Garam mula diedarkan dan air mula disediakan. Dengan bahan-bahan ini, kesan pedih antara 2 hingga 3 minit saja.

Berdasarkan fakta ini, rahsia penglibatan polis dalam demonstrasi BERSIH 3.0 sudah terburai sekalipun Zaharin, bekas s/U UMNO/APCO Baru Bandar Tun Tazak tak tulis apa-apa pun dalam Facebooknya. Namun, apa-apa yang ditulisnya ternyata benar. Kini, UMNO/APCO Baru sedang menggelupur untuk menepisnya. Nampaknya mereka totally fail.

Apabila gambar yang didakwa polis pakai gelang kuning membelasah polis trafik disiarkan, Zaharin! kata di a bukan polis. Walaupun keraguan tidak dapat dikikis sepenuhnya dengan penafian itu, UMNO/APCO Baru rasa gelisah.

Apabila gambar yang mendakwa pemecah benteng besi itu buat kerja macam profesional, UMNO/APCO Baru terus tergamam. Kerja sedemikian tak mungkin dilakukan oleh pendemonstran. Penglibatan polis untuk mencemarkan imej pendemonstran menjadi semakin terserlah.

Apabila gambar polis jadi pendemonstran pada waktu tengah hari dan kembali menjadi polis untuk menangkap pendemonstran pada waktu petang disiarkan, UMNO/APCO Baru terus kelu. Dah tak boleh kata apa-apa. Mereka tertolak dan terlekat ke dinding tanpa dapat melawan lagi. Check mate!!!  

Mereka akhirnya terpaksa menyerah. Nah, inilah yang sedang dilakukan oleh 300,000 orang peserta BERSIH 3.0 dalam kalangan masyarakat ketika ini. Bayangkan kisah polis buat kerja terkutuk itu tersebar kepada 300,000 x 5 x 5 orang.  7.5 juta orang akan meyakininya. Jumlah ini jauh lebih daripada mencukupi untuk menggulingkan Kerajaan UMNO/APCO Baru-BN. Kerajaan Malaysia akan dikuasai oleh Pakatan Rakyat selepas PRU Ke-13!!!  

 

Aamiin!!!

 

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A heartfelt tribute to Bersih 3.0

The Malaysian Insider

I salute you, Bersih 3.0 ~ by Sam Peh

MAY 1 — I salute you Ambiga Sreenevasan, Samad Said and all the other people behind Bersih 3.0 because you have shown us that when common people unite, there is nothing that can stop us.

When common people unite, threats, violence and mass propaganda by the country's slavish media lose their sting. I salute the people of Bersih because they have been quick to admit that their crowd control could have been better.

I salute them because they have come out and supported tough action against those who perpetrated the violence and even called for an independent Suhakam inquiry into Bersih 3.0.

I salute you because that gathering on Saturday gave many Malaysians a taste of oneness and camaraderie which they have not felt for a long time. I dare say that the level of patriotism of many who turned up is at an all-time high.

Yes, I understand that Najib and company are calling you all sorts of names and actually believe they have the upper hand.

But I invite my dear Malaysians to consider these facts.

Who would you trust? Leaders who acknowledge their human weakness or those who are too big to say sorry? Would you trust Samad Said, Chin Huat, Ambiga or Najib, Muhyiddin, Khairy Jamaluddin, Chua Soi Lek or Palanivel?

Who would you trust? Leaders who have put their lives, reputations and incomes on the line for cleaner elections or the fat cats in their RM15,000 suits and linen shirts who milk the country.

Who would you trust? The hundreds of witness accounts and YouTube clips and pix on Instagram or cops who seized cameras, etc ?

I salute you the people of Bersih because you have given the common citizen an opportunity to be heard, seen and fight against evil.

Some rights reserved © Antares/Magick River You may borrow and/or modify content for your own blog but please credit and backlink, thanks.

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Running scared of the rakyat

It is now exceedingly clear that the Barisan Nasional government is very much afraid of the voice of the people. For how else could you explain its overboard attempts to sabotage the Bersih 3.0 sit-in on April 28?

First of all, this columnist and her four friends plus nearly 1,000 people at the Kepong railway station platform were denied the services of the KTM commuter train when it was announced that the train service was "rosak" (out of order) at around 9.45am that Saturday.

That the commuter train service could break down at a time like this is a clear indication that the BN federal government wants to prevent people from participating in the Bersih 3.0 rally. The crowd on the platform became angry and shouted "tipu" (lie) in unison.

This columnist and friends then decided to drive to KL Sentral.

The crowd at Jalan Sultan was massive. It was a sea of people and the atmosphere was jovial. There was also a group of people chanting "Kuning, kuning, Najib pening" (Yellow, yellow, Najib gets a headache) and many joined in the chants as well.

At around 1.45pm, the crowd near the Bar Council building asked equested the police to let us through to Dataran Merdeka, shouting "buka pintu" (open the door) but it was an exercise in futility.

At about 3.30pm, people who were dining alfresco in Petaling Street were stung by tear gas which was an added ingredient on their food. This columnist and friends who were passing by also suffered the same fate.

Instant panic

At around 4.15pm, we arrived at KL Sentral bus terminal and took the only escalator going upwards when, without any warning, the escalator started going down causing an instant panic. Luckily no one was injured. It was done on purpose as many Bersih participants were on the escalator then. Thank God, there were no elderly folks, pregnant mothers or anyone carrying a baby or else serious injuries could have resulted. One youth shouted "BN pergi mampus" (BN go and die) and everyone responded with cries of "betul" (right).

Broadband was exceedingly slow on April 28 although the powers-that-be were able to quickly upload scenes of the incidents manipulated to favour them on the police website. Is this a new form of media control whereby scenes of the truth are suppressed whereas scenes which tarnish the opposition Pakatan Rakyat and Bersih can be uploaded quickly? Has the BN government hired many "Youtube specialists" to take pictures for them so that these can be uploaded quickly on the Internet in order to sway public perception to favour BN?

Are there rogue agents (a few of those wearing black) working for BN among the Bersih crowd? Were they the ones who taunt and throw stones at the police so that this can give the police an excuse to fire tear gas and water cannon at the genuine Bersih participants? A group of people wearing black were identified as behaving "strangely" by not listening to Bersih leaders' instructions. Too many unanswered questions overall.

For the first time, the media people have been assaulted by police. This is absolutely deplorable and it is a very clear indication that the Najib administration is trying to suppress information. Is Malaysia going to fall behind Myanmar in terms of democratic reforms?

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is certainly a man living in fear of losing power. And it is this particular fear that has prompted the BN government to give tacit approval to an insidious plot of planting 3.1 million dubious voters into the electoral roll without any regard to the safety and future of all Malaysians. As the dubious voters have MyKads and are listed in the roll, no one can stop them from voting and this is the way the BN government overcomes the indelible ink.

This shows that the BN government has totally gone insane as it has virtually sold out the nation and its citizens to low-skilled migrant labour. Many of the people who are informed are getting very angry with BN's traitorous and Machiavellian deed.

Still arrogant

Even after Bersih 3.0, the Najib administration is still arrogant and acting in denial in regard to the root cause of the anger of the rakyat. The government keeps harping on the riotous behaviour of a few people in the Bersih crowd who may be rogue agent provocateurs planted among the Bersih participants to cause trouble so that blame can be pinned on Bersih. No one can really tell.

If there are no arrests on the troublemakers, then we know which side they belong to. This is the same case as in the Anti-Lynas rally in Penang on Feb 26 wherein there were no arrests although the faces of the perpetrators were caught on camera.

All these incidents only serve to show that the BN government is planning to hoodwink and derail the rakyat. It is no longer running an administration because it is now plundering the nation's wealth and suppressing the voice of the citizens. This is a sign that Malaysia is now under a crooked regime and also a sign that the Malaysian typhoon is coming.

Truth be told, no one expected the large number of people to turn up for Bersih 3.0. Shah Alam PAS MP Khalid Samad told this columnist that he had hoped for only 150,000 people and the crowd of at least 250,000 was way beyond his expectations. The people are angry because the Election Commission (EC) and the National Registration Department (NRD) are acting in BN's interests. Najib must read the signs of the times. He cannot hide anymore and must face the wrath of the people.

The prime minister's refusal to answer any questions pertaining to the dodgy arms deal in regard to the Scorpene submarine will sink him even if he wins the coming 13th general election due to massive electoral fraud. As of now, he still refuses to wake up to harsh realities. Perhaps he is even in deeper slumber than his predecessor.

Selena Tay is a FMT columnist.

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Workers march against low minimum wage

KUALA LUMPUR: Workers today rode on the Workers Day rally to protest against the government's newly announced minimum wage policy in a show of discontent that could hamper Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's effort to bag support from the majority of the country's workforce.

About 600 protesters from various workers' groups marched from the Central Market here to the Maybank Tower, the headquarters of Malaysia's largest bank, carrying red banners and placards describing the new policy as a "sham" and indicative of the government's pro-employer stand.

After much anticipation from the workforce and businesses alike, Najib announced live on television last night that workers from the private sector would get RM900 in the Peninsula and RM800 in Sabah and Sarawak.

The announcement was made amid intense speculation that the general election would be held by June. Political observers believe it was targeted at winning the support of the low-income workers, which form close to 80% of Malaysia's 12-million strong workforce.

But workers' groups said the amount set by the government was still very low and could barely support families, especially in the urban areas. Inflation is at an all-time high and workers are struggling to cope with soaring food prices.

"The minimum wage should be set at RM1,500 so that workers will receive a dignified income in line with the government's aspiration to form a high-income society," said one of the points raised in the group's 2012 Workers Day memorandum.

MORE TO FOLLOW

Also read:

Minimum wage set at RM900

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Let’s heal this nation

I wasn't there on Saturday.

I was however constantly checking out the progress of the BERSIH sit-in through various social-media platforms, including Twitter and Facebook as well as some websites which provided updates from time to time.

In the morning it was like one huge festival. It was like the Rio carnival (without the samba, of course). I saw people converging, talking to each other, singing, walking around and taking pictures. I could also see police officers standing guard, looking at possible trouble-makers, talking to each other and manning their respective post.

There was an air of optimism. There were heart-warming moments, captured on camera, of people handing flowers and balloons to police officers, while their colleague looked on with amusement. There were people asking to pose with police officers and the latter obliged with a smile.

All these pictures of  festivities – grudging as they might be -  moved me to twit in the late morning, "Police acting with considerable restraint so far. The people are not the enemy. Syabas." I tagged PDRMsia to that twit.

I have written about unity before. I have postulated that national unity exists on two levels, namely, situational unity and what I call the transcendental unity. And I was thinking, the Bersih rally, at least in the hours before 2pm on 28th April 2012, is a perfect example of what I had termed as situational unity.

When the people have one purpose in mind, they would instinctively move as one towards achieving that on e purpose. They would suffer hardship, readily go through inconvenience and sacrifice time and money to move together for that one purpose. And they would stand side by side with complete strangers, regardless of breed ! and cree d; regardless of race and religion in the pursuit of that one purpose.

That is my theory in Dear Brother Anas. And the Bersih rally proves just that.

Events however took a turn for worse just after noon. Some rally goers broke the barricade and encroached on Dataran Merdeka. Suddenly the police and the Federal Reserve Unit started using the water cannon and tear gas. And all hell broke loose.

In a way – and I am speaking as a third party here, as I wasn't there to have a first-hand experience – it could have been the result of a miscommunication, a non-communication even.

I do not know whether there was sufficient publicity about what would constitute the "bantah" itself; what would constitute the end of the rally and what the rally goers were supposed to do after it all ended.

It was all a bit of a confusion. The plan was to have a sit-in at – or rather, on – Dataran Merdeka. The authorities were having none of that. They obtained a Court order against that. They then set out barriers, barricades, barbed wires and razor barricades around Dataran Merdeka.

Then there was a statement by the police saying that the people will be allowed to converge at several meeting points as planned by Bersih. However, the statement also said that the police were going to take action if the people start moving towards Dataran Merdeka. Then there was a statement by Bersih's Dato' Ambiga saying that Bersih will comply with the Court order by not occupying Dataran Merdeka.

So what was the exact plan? Meet at the meeting points. And then what?

At a certain point of time, I read a! bout Dat o' Ambiga addressing the crowd and declared the rally a success. She then asked the rally goers to disperse. Where did this take place? I do not know. And how many from the crowd managed to listen to or hear her request to disperse? I do not know.

All that we know is that the rally did not end even after that request by Dato' Ambiga. There was a group of people who breached the barricade. According to an interview given by a friend of mine, Fahri Azzat, he was about 100 metres away from the barricade.

He saw a float consisting of the opposition leaders. Then he heard people saying "get in get in, it's open" or something to that effect. He did not know what that meant although it was in his mind that perhaps the barricades had been removed. Then the police charged.

His interview is here.

I saw many video on YouTube. And many pictures posted on the internet.

Many of them are downright disturbing. There was a video of some people smashing a police car at a junction. There was another video showing a police car (probably the same police car which was being smashed) along Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman being driven into a crowd at Sogo. Then there were shouts that somebody was underneath that car and people were upturning the car although at the end of it, I could not see anybody under that car.

There was also a disturbing video of a group of policemen, all in uniform, assaulting a man who was arrested at a t-junction. That was painful to watch, to say the least. In addition, there were numerous accounts of post-arrest assaults.

Then on Twitter, there were twits of the person allegedly rammed by a police car (probabl! y the po lice car in the video which I described earlier) had died. Then there were twits about a police gun having been snatched.

Quite surreal I must add was a twit saying the police gun was later recovered. I mean, how negligent can a police officer be to lose his gun. And how dumb the gun snatcher was to let that gun be recovered afterward?

The most disturbing twits which I had read later was the rumour that not one, but two policemen had died!

I shook my head in total disbelief at the crass nature of some of the statements made from both sides of the fence. At the sheer irresponsibility of it all. All in the name of expression.

In the middle of it all, I asked myself, what has happened to all of us, the people and the authorities? Have we abandoned reason and rationality? What has happened to humanity? Are we all so caught up with our perceived struggle and functions so much so that we are no more brothers and sisters of the same nation?

My optimism quickly swallowed by a sea of shocking acts of crime, I descended into a state of shock and disbelief. My twit reflected how I felt. At the end of it, I twitted, "I weep for this nation."

Yesterday was Sunday. And this morning I have not recovered from my bout of depression.

I am trying to avoid reading any kind of news about Bersih. However, I know for sure that the blame game will start, if it hadn't started in the first place.

The government will blame the opposition. The opposition will blame the government. There will be one side who blames the police for all the mayhem. The police will in turn blame the rally goers for being rowdy. Everything under the sun will start blaming Venus, t! he moon and Mars except for themselves.

Deputy Minister Dato' Saifuddin Abdullah has reportedly said that the Bersih event had shown a nation angry and divided.

I say, apart from that, the Bersih rally reveals a nation which is not at ease with her people and on the other hand , a people which is suspicious of their nation. It shows that at times, all of us could lose our head and descend into some kind of a contagious sickness.

I just pray that soon, all of us would regain our collective consciousness; regain our rationality and reasonableness; regain that missing piece of humanity. And then perhaps we would sit down, with a cup of coffee in hand, and ponder whether we would want to continue with our waywardness.

Or whether we would want to heal this nation; get back on our feet and move forward as one people with one purpose.

In unity.

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BBC Signals Outrage Over Malaysian ‘Censorship’ Of Bersih 3.0 Coverage!

Sarawak Report

The integrity of the BBC seems to have been threatened by the doctoring of its reports by Malaysia's satellite broadcaster Astro!

The BBC in London has issued a statement saying it is urgently seeking explanations over the apparent doctoring of one of its news reports by the Malaysian satellite broadcaster Astro.

A copy of the allegedly censored report has been circulated widely on You Tube since the weekend, showing how what was broadcast to viewers on Astro differed from the original version that was shown elsewhere in the world.

The established BBC reporter Emily Buchanan had produced a two minute report on the Bersih rally, detailing the days events.  This was included in bulletins offered by BBC World, one of the Channels carried by Astro.

However, thirty seconds appears to have been cut out of the doctored version on Astro, after the removal of three separate sequences, one of which showed a policeman on a motorbike apparently firing at demonstrators.

The two other sequences that were removed included interviews with demonstrators, explaining why they felt they had to take to the streets to defend the right to fair elections.

Deplorable during the week of World Press Freedom Day!

After Sarawak Report notified the BBC about what had happened yesterday the Corporation responded with a strongly worded statement signalling apparent outrage.

It is an established rule that none of its reports should be tampered with or doctored by channels carrying its News Service and the statement makes plain that this is a potentially deeply serious breach of its contract with Astro:

BBC Statement

"The BBC is carrying out urgent enquiries after it was made aware that output from its BBC World News channel may have been censored in Malaysia.

The broadcast of anti-Government protests in Malaysia was apparently edited before it was re-broadcast on Malaysian satellite television, with sequences removed from the original BBC version.

The BBC is making urgent enquiries to the Malaysian operator, Astro, to establish the facts.

A BBC spokesman said: "During the week of World Press Freedom Day, it would be deplorable if access to independent and impartial news was being prevented in any way. We would strongly condemn any blocking of the trusted news that we broadcast around the world including via distribution partners."

Not supposed to tamper with content – but it seems that Al Jazeera's coverage of Bersih 3.0 may also have been doctored by Astro!

The BBC is believed to still be awaiting a full explanation from Astro as to what could possibly have happened during this case.

The company is apparently taking some time to respond to the urgent questions that have been put and it is believed that there may be further delay over the public holiday.

However, the quality of the editing of the package would indicate that this was indeed a professional and carefully executed attempt to put the authorities in Malaysia in a better light.  If so, the exposure of such manipulation is likely to seriously backfire on both the reputation of Astro and international standing of BN.

Al Jazeera's reports 'also tampered with' by Astro!

"Our camera was kicked to the ground" – it seems Astro did not like Harry Fawcett's account of police brutality agains protestors and censored Al Jazeera's report as well!

Astro, the only satellite channel to be licensed by the BN Government is owned by one of the country's richest entrepreneurs, Ananda Krishnan, known for his close links with the ruling UMNO party.

Astro dishes have even been offered as a free incentive to some longhouses in Sarawak in the run up to the federal elections, presumably in an attempt to both curry favour and to influence their thinking in favour of the government.

The doctoring of the BBC's report would appear to show just how biased and subservient Astro is to UMNO's political agenda.

And in the past hours more information has started to emerge that the channel carried out a similar tampering exercise with the Al Jazeera report on the march by the reporter Harry Fawcett!

Time for more democracy and press freedom?

Journalists seeking to record scenes like these have complained over mistreatment by police and the destruction of cameras and equipment.

As the BBC pointed out in its statement, Astro channel's sneaky censoring of these objective news reports came at the very start of the week of World Press Freedom Day, May 3rd.

The action provides a neat example of just the sort of anti-democratic cheating and abuse of power that brought so many thousands onto the streets of KL in the first place on Saturday.

The Bersih movement has started to wake up the rest of the world to the fact that Malaysia's expensively crafted image as a friendly and democratic country under BN is in fact a PR sham.

What could have better summed up the autocratic and illegal tendencies of BN than this sanctioning of Astro's censorship against two of the world's most respected broadcasters, which were trying to bring viewers an objective account of this event.

What better vindication for Bersih and its call for a cleaner Malaysia!

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