Police stopped about 100 students from gathering in front of the Putrajaya mosque to submit a memorandum to the Prime Minister’s Department on the recently-announced price hikes .

Two student leaders were subsequently arrested for failing to disperse after submitting their memorandum.

students protest against price hike in putrajaya pm's department A third was detained outside the Putrajaya district police station at 2.45pm, as he was waiting for lawyers to help with the two student leaders being held there.

Earlier, the students, all clad in black T-shirts, assembled in front of the mosque shouting slogans such as "student power".

Five police officers arrived and ordered them to disperse.

"No gathering and rally here, if not we will arrest all of you,"  one of them warned.

After brief negotiations, the police agreed to allow five of their representatives to proceed to the Prime Minister’s Department to submit their memorandum.

student protest arrest The arrest of two of the students - Gamis leader Ahmad Shukri Abdul Razak and secretary of Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia Mohd Ridzuan Othman ( left and right respectively, in photo ) - took place after they had submitted the memorandum to a representative at the PM's Department and re-gathered in front of the mosque.

They were held at the Putrajaya district police headquarters, where fellow student protester Mohd Shahruldeen Ahmad Rosli was arrested while awaiting legal assistance.

‘Cut ministers' wages’

The students' memorandum expresses regret and disappointment over the recent fuel, cooking gas and sugar price hikes.

Among their demands is for the government to review subsidies for crony companies that allegedly amounted to RM19 billion.

student demo at putrajaya on price hikes poster Other grouses include the salaries of ministers, which the students want revised.

"The revision must be in line with the authority’s efforts to reduce our fiscal deficit," said Gamis president Ahmad Syazwan during a pre-rally a press briefing.

He also took the government to task for not honouring its promises.

"Just two weeks after a minister pledged to maintain the prices of basic goods, we see price hikes," he said.

The student leaders also condemned the police for over-reacting to their peaceful rally.

And while they succeeded in delivering their memorandum, they are unhappy that the PM’s Department officer, Muim Omar, did not give any timeline for a response.

"He just gave us a verbal promise that the PM will respond," they said.

'Putrajaya not holy ground'

Later this evening,  one of the student leaders, Hilman Idham, in a statement said “the increasingly inflated prices of goods is a betrayal of the people’s trust".

students protest against price hike in putrajaya another arrest The government, Hilman said, continued to spew empty rhetoric for its blind supporters, but its recent actions showed that it has failed to read the signs from the ground, and was “acting like kings... without caring for the voice of the people”.

He accused the government of caring more for its own “coffers and stomach” and warned that the students “unapologetically state that the government will be overthrown in the next general election” if it persists with the present behaviour.

students protest against price hike in putrajaya police Hilman said the student movement would continue to exert pressure on the government should it continue to abuse the people’s trust that has put it in power.

He also called for the immediate release of the students arrested today, and blasted the government for treating Putrajaya as some sort of “holy ground that is off limits to the lowly rakyat who simply want to air their grievances about the ruling coalition”.

All three detained were eventually released on police bail at 6.15pm. They will have to report back to the Putrajaya police station on Dec 23. 

- Additional reporting by Leven Woon & Abdul Rahim Sabri