YOURSAY 'This must be a lesson learnt from Bersih 2.0, in which the public had lots of evidence against the police.'

Hisham: Photo equipment seized as part of SOP

Ketot: What right has the police to confiscate these private properties of the journalists and reporters? What offences have they committed to warrant these confiscations and under which specific provision of the law?

Are the police all mighty and powerful so that they can do what they like?

Louis: What kind of regime seizes cameras and memory cards of journalists? Communist. Are we going down that direction where the powers-that-be are so fearful of cameras and pictures?

If the police can act properly and professionally, there is nothing to fear. It is only that they have so many things to hide that no pictures are allowed.

Fairnessforall: Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, stop taking us for idiots. After seeing all the videos and photos that were uploaded, it's clear that the police provoked the protestors on purpose.

The police were probably instructed to create trouble if the protestors did not, and since the protestors were peaceful, they sprayed chemical-laced water and released tear gas on the protestors to make everything go haywire.

Quigonbond: Hisham has no political sense. Mature democracies give far more protection to journalists.

Here, he sweeps aside any indignation when it comes to confiscating journalists' equipment. There is something seriously wrong when confiscation is a "standard".

Jedi_Who: Hisham said, "I don't know, but it is standing operating procedure". Well, it wasn't during Bersih 2.0.

Armageddon: Memory cards were seized which is part of the police's standard operating procedure, said Hishammuddin. This must be a lesson learnt from Bersih 2.0, in which the public had lots of evidence against the police.

Maplesyrup: If this is SOP then Malaysia is a lawless country run by a lawless government. Where is the freedom of press? Seizing cameras and memory cards from pressmen to me, is a act of suppression of truth.

Datos: Hisham never fails to put his foot in his mouth, time and again.

Police brutality: A first person account

Up2U: Dear prime minister, if the police are clean, why the need to go after journalists that were trying to cover the event?

Why was a SOP (standard operating procedure) issued to confiscate journalists' cameras and memory cards? Why the need to manhandle and beat up fellow Malaysians, including journalists?

In any other country that professes real democracy, the IGP (inspector-general of police) and his fellow top officers must be held answerable. People who are sworn to protect the law should never ever be flouting the law.

Anonymous_4196: This is indeed a sad day for Malaysians. The very people that swore to protect and serve had deliberately acted outside of the law.

The government cannot deny this, there is so much video evidence and first-hand accounts reported.

Moontime: We don't actually have a police force. What we have is a bunch of thugs with licence to commit assault and battery.

I bet you that they didn't offer any apology for the brutal attack. It's time to teach these hoodlums a lesson. Let's name them and shame them. Even better, sue the pants off them.

I don't condone retaliation or a personal vendetta against these thugs posing as police officers. However, patience has its limits. Do we want to see policemen being spit upon, despised and ostracised by the public? Certainly not!

The force needs to be cleaned up, and its integrity and credibility restored. Only under a new management can these actions be undone.

Ferdtan: The police brutality at the Bersih 3.0 rally is enough cause for the IGP to resign. He should take all responsibilities for the behaviour of his officers. They have no right to beat protestors after arrests.

Even if the police chief was instructed by his political master, he's supposed to remain neutral. For that reason alone, he is to be blamed for it all.

Anonymous #43051382: I think PM Najib Abdul Razak and his cousin Hishammuddin outsourced the work of the police at the Bersih 3.0 rally to a large chunk of paid Umno rempit to do the dirty job.

I have many police friends who are ashamed at the barbaric actions of these uniformed thugs.

Lai Tak Ming: While I cannot condone violence in any form and certainly not rioting by the marchers, what one need to ask is why did they react the way they did.

Were they provoked to the extreme having watched fellow peaceful marchers (and they are not rioters as claimed by the IGP) set upon by people who are sworn to protect them?

It is unfortunate that this time much of the photo evidence has been destroyed by the police given their actions against the journalists/cameramen.

FellowMalaysian: Malaysiakini photojournalist Koh Jun Lin, you are a brave man and in the right profession.

Your account is commendable and your cool nerve in handling the aggressive and abusive team of armed and hostile police officers showed maturity beyond your age.

You have done well in helping other concerned citizens to reveal and document the evils of Najib government.

TruthSansBorders: ‘Standard operating procedure' is really a euphemism for ‘destroy evidence'.

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