Penang police today released eight people including senator Mohamad Ezam Mohd Nor, all of whom had participated in an illegal assembly outside the Komtar building here yesterday.

They had held the assembly to protest against alleged discrimination of Malays in Penang by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

Penang police chief Ayub Yaakob said the eight, aged between 27 and 46 years, were released overnight.

"They were released after their statements were recorded," he told reporters in George Town today.

He said they were detained to facilitate investigations under Section 27 of the Police Act for participating in an illegal assembly.

"Police will take stern action against anyone who participates in illegal assemblies," he said.

Besides Ezam, among the others held were Pertubuhan Suara Anak-Anak Malaysia chairman Mohamed Ghani Abdul Jiman and Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia (Perkasa) Timur Laut district head, Mohd Rizuad Mohd Azudin.

They were arrested after leading some 1,500 people on a march from Masjid Melayu Lebuh Aceh to the Komtar building.

Penang Umno ‘not involved’ in demo

Meanwhile, Penang Umno today denied any involvement in yesterday’s demonstration.

State liaison committee chairman Zainal Abidin Osman said that Penang Umno never held a meeting on the demonstration or directed it to be staged.

He said that he received a lot of calls from friends yesterday about the demonstration against Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, and wished to make clear that the state Umno had nothing to do with it.

"We have 150,000 members in Penang. If Umno were to organise any demonstration, it would not be 1,000 people who gather there as was the case  yesterday but thousands of people," he told reporters here.

Zainal, however, said there were some party members who joined the demonstration as NGO members.

As a responsible party, he said, Umno would never stage such a demonstration.

- Bernama