Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng today said he felt threatened after he was warned to be “careful” by a group of pro-Lynas supporters who tried to disrupt his speech during a rally at the Esplanade yesterday.

The rally was organised by NGOs in solidarity with Himpunan Hijau 2.0, which held a similar event in Kuantan, to oppose potential radioactive hazards from the Lynas processing plant situated in Gebeng.

penang lynas himpunan hijau 260212 “For the first time, I felt threatened  because the pro-Lynas group also warned me to be careful,” he said during a press conference at the office of local Chinese daily Kwong Wah Jit Poh at Jalan Presgrave today.

“These words, used against a chief minister, are very serious. If a similar incident happened to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, I am sure very serious action would have been taken,” he added.

Recently, two students - one from Penang, and the other from Alor Setar - were nabbed by police immediately after reports were lodged against their Facebook postings which were deemed to have threatened Najib’s life.

‘CM’s post under siege’

Lim said the warning and the harassment he experienced during the rally yesterday, in which 500 people took part, was not only an attack against him personally but also the post of the chief minister.

NONE “As I was leaving the field and the rally site, my car was pounded on, kicked and spitted on. This is the behaviour of Malay rights group Perkasa and Umno, and not that of Malaysians,” he said.

“When I was going down the stage after my speech, the group tried to reach out to me with their hands, they were very, very near to me, and I felt threatened,” he lamented.

Lim said there were also allegations that the traffic police had escorted a group of mat rempit   (motorbikers) to the Esplanade before the rally started.

“We need an explanation about this, although we are not blaming the traffic policemen.”

This afternoon, Lim visited the office of Kwong Wah Jit Poh , along with several MPs, assemblypersons and councillors.

‘Racist and vulgar statements’

During a press conference there, he was accompanied by two members of the management staff of Kwong Wah , and journalists Adam Chew and Lee Hong Chun, who were attacked when a fracas arose in the midst of the rally.

adam chew kwong wah jit poh journalist with blood on fingers Lim begun the press conference by showing a CJ.Com videoclip, which featured Chew ( left ) defending himself from his attackers.

Lim expressed “sympathy and regret” over the duo’s plight, which resulted in Chew sustaining eight stitches on one of his fingers, while Lee suffered bruises on his head.

“Adam protected me when someone tried to punch me from behind. I also feel happy and grateful that there were Malays and Indians who protected me, this is visible through the video,” Lim said.

Lim, however, added that he was very upset with the “racist and vulgar” statements by the group, who complained that they wanted the rally to stop because Lynas is not a Penang issue.

“These are very rude statements and were purposely made to create chaos. This is not the first time that reporters are attacked,” he said.

“During another rally at Komtar last year, in which Umno members and Senator Ezam Mohd Nor were present, two reporters were also assaulted. It seems to be a challenge to be a reporter in Penang,” he added.

Reporter admits self-defence

At the same press conference, Chew said he offered himself to protect Lim because he felt that the CM was truly in danger at that point.

He added that he was surrounded by several men who harassed and pushed him violently when he was ‘protecting’ Lim while he was leaving the stage, such that he had to defend himself.

“Someone then hit me with a helmet and five or six others punched and kicked me. I ran to the end of the stage but fell on my face,” he stressed.

Chew had lodged a police report and said he is awaiting police action as he is able to identify his attackers.

After the press conference, Dato Keramat assembvlyperson Jagdeep Singh Deo said state police chief Ayub Yaacob must take special interest in the case as it involves the post of the CM.

“After looking at the evidence, it is clear that an offence had ben committed.

“Clearly there is a case of assault or attempted assault which is covered under section 324 of the Penal Code, which includes intention to cause grievous bodily harm,” he told reporters.

“There is also a clear case of criminal intimidation against the CM. I will speak to him later about lodging a police report,” he added.

Jagdeep said Ayub must act quickly and bring the suspects to book.

“He can ask the reporters to identify their attackers in an identification parade and look at the available videos for further evidence.”

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