Sleepless nights plagued Chang Ah Kau after his son was brutally assaulted by the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) during the Bandar Mahkota Cheras (BMC) fracas a few nights ago.

cheras mahkota road grand saga barricade fru assault 280508 01 The tailor was emotional when he related how he was unable to sleep for two nights after the incident but was thankful that his son, Jiun Haur, 23, was still alive.

“I had to live with the fact that no matter what happened, (it) has happened. I’m (however) thankful that my son is still alive,” he told Malaysiakini during an interview in their Teluk Kemang home near Port Dickson today.

On Tuesday, tensions reached fever pitch when BMC residents who attempted to tear down the barricade - which blocks off the toll-free access road - clashed with a group of men purportedly hired by Grand Saga to protect the barricade.

Defends son's action

About five patrol vehicles were on standby, with a dozen police personnel keeping a close watch on the residents. Residents have complained that the police failed to act when the clashes happened.

By about 10.10pm, six Federal Reserve Unit trucks along with about 100 riot police arrived at the scene.

Chang Jiun Haur At 11.30pm, curious onlooker Jiun Haur - who was travelling with his sister Jiun Mein ( photo, right ) and two friends - Cheok Kem Hoo and Chan Siew Meng - was allegedly dragged out of his car and repeatedly kicked and beaten by 20 riot squad (FRU) personnel armed with batons. [Watch 5-min video]

The Damansara-based mechanic was subsequently rushed to Kajang Hospital where he received more than 10 stitches after the incident. He was later transferred to Teluk Kemang Hospital, close to where he lives, for observation.

Switching to a more forceful tone, Ah Kau ( photo above, left ) defended his son’s action and criticised the FRU for being irresponsible that night.

cheras mahkota fru assault on car sequence 280508 “There were a lot of cars in front, but only his car was stopped. They targetted (only) one car, and that car was my son’s. If they want to stop cars, why not stop all the cars?

“How could he knock a police over if he was just making a U-turn? Cars would usually go slower if they did that,” he pointed out.

“He was already unconscious (but) they kept beating him up. How could you get the bird to sing if you killed it first? There’s no law in the world like this,” he said angrily.

Ah Kau - who is a single parent - related how he has constantly been thinking about his son and his family’s future as Jin Haur was the only child who had to end his school days early.

He also said he is unclear whether he will take any legal action against the police despite having several lawyers offering themselves to represent Jiun Haur for free.

However, this incident has taken a toll on the family’s savings as he had spent most of his money to pay for hospital expenses.

“Whatever is in my pocket, I’ll spend it even if it’s RM10,” he said.

Ah Kau later apologised on behalf of Jiun Haur for refusing to speak to the press as he was still “scared and sad”.

“He doesn’t even want to see his friends,” he explained.

However, Ah Kau said that Jiun Haur has lodged a police report on the matter in Seremban on Thursday to explain his innocence on the matter.

'We are all innocent'

Meanwhile, sister Jiun Mein - who initially refused to be interviewed by Malaysiakini - broke her silence and related how she was shocked by the whole incident.

mahkota cheras grand saga road barricade fru assault 280508 04 “When they (FRU) saw me, they dragged me out of the car to some places far (from the incident and left the others behind),” said Jium Mein, adding that she was genuinely frightened of being held alone by a group of police after witnessing the beating of her brother.

The Tunku Abdul Rahman University student, who had to miss two days of classes due to the incident, also hoped that “this will not happen again.”

According to Kajang police chief ACP Shakaruddin Che Mood yesterday, the four may be charged for rioting and attempted murder but no mention was made on when investigations will be completed.

Since the incident, the BMC access has been opened by the government in a decision announced by Works Minister Mohd Zin Mohamed to jubilant residents yesterday.