On Dec 10, I decided to opt for a lecture on human rights instead of participating in a march. I left my two banners, one which may be confiscated and one other which would probably pass muster, with a marcher at Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur.

One banner had a graphic image of a person blue in the face as a result of torture, with the words, 'Stop Torture, IPCMC Now'. I took the image off an Amnesty International poster. The other banner reads 'Stop War, Wage Peace' with a patched-on dove and olive branch, a remnant from the anti-war coalition protests of the unilateral action against Iraq.

I do not know if the banners were unfurled during the march which was under police escort. I have not been to a march with police permission. It is too unnerving.