Dr M rapped over Kg Medan clashes
Barisan Alternatif (BA) leaders today called on prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad not to incite and exacerbate racial tensions at Kampung Medan, Petaling Selatan and surrounding areas by making statements of a communal nature.
The racial clashes at the Petaling Selatan squatter areas and its vicinity since last Thursday have resulted in the death of at least six persons and the arrest of 177.
PRM leader Dr Syed Husin Ali said that several statements recently made by Mahathir have been "most irresponsible".
"These kind of statements are not the kind of statements that one expects from a national leader," said Syed Husin at a press conference attended by Keadilan leaders Dr Wan Azizah Ismail and Dr Chandra Muzaffar, PAS secretary-general Nasaruddin Md Isa and DAP secretary general Kerk Kim Hock.
The BA leaders said that the prime minister's comments over television news broadcasts could have influenced the residents in the affected areas.
Death toll figure
Syed Husin also said that it appeared that certain quarters were not revealing the "true picture of the incident".
"We get the impression that there are efforts by some quarters to downplay the incidents. It is possible that trivial incidents sparked the clashes but the problem now has become too big to be downplayed any longer," he said.
He added the authorities should not conceal the number of persons killed. He said "reliable sources" had informed him that the actual number of fatalities could be higher than the official figure of six announced by the police.
Syed Husin said that there were also initial complaints of police not acting in a completely professional manner, thus failing to bring the situation under control.
"There were allegations from some quarters that the police were not firm enough and on occasions, were one-sided in their approach," he said.
But there were also numerous reports from residents in the areas who said they found the police presence to be useful and helpful, said Syed Husin.
The PRM leader said he and other BA leaders hoped to meet deputy prime minister and Home Affairs Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as soon as possible to discuss the situation in Petaling Selatan.
Poor planning
The BA leaders stressed that it was important to discuss national unity to find ways to reduce the tension and that efforts are made to solve all outstanding problems to ensure that such incidents do not recur.
They said they felt that the incident in Petaling Selatan was due to the lack of socio-economic development in these areas.
"This is a result of poor policy planning and uneven national development undertaken by the government. This problem must be resolved in order to have a good foundation for the building of a strong and durable national unity," said Keadilan president Wan Azizah.
Chandra, meanwhile, said that the tension in the areas could have been lessened if Abdullah had visited the place soon after the violence broke out. He said a prompt visit by then deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim to visit and talk to the fighting parties during the Kampung Rawa incident in Penang in April 1998 had helped tremendously to diffuse the tensed racial situation there.
The BA leaders said that they will be visiting the affected areas tomorrow to have a closer look at the situation.
Residents suspicious
Meanwhile, a survey by malaysiakini at the scene of the clashes showed a heavy police presence with teams of Federal Reserve Unit (FRU), police and Public Order Riot Unit (Poru) personnel stationed along the main roads, schools, coffees shops and residential areas.
The affected areas seemed to be slowly coming back to normal with shops open for business and children going to school.
The neighbourhood where the skirmishes occurred - which include Taman Datuk Harun, Kampung Lindungan, Kampung Medan, Taman Medan, Kampung Penaga, Kampung Ghandi and Kampung Muniandy - is populated by Malays, Indians and foreign Indonesian and Bangladeshi migrants and comprises of longhouses, low-cost flats, terrace houses and wooden squatter houses.
The majority of the residents are from the lower income group, most being factory workers, mechanics and small-time businessmen.
The residents are still suspicious of outsiders, particularly those of not their own race.
One Indian mother was seen preparing to send off her young son to stay elsewhere while a Malay family surveyed the damage of their window-less Proton Saga. Not far away, three cars with all their windows smashed, stood as silent witnesses.
A huge mound of rubbish at Taman Medan was swiftly cleared by the authorities this morning in preparation for a visit by the deputy prime minister this afternoon.
Abdullah, who met with residents there, warned that stern action would be taken against those spreading rumours.
Under control
National news agency Bernama reported Selangor police chief Nik Ismail Nik Yusuf as saying that police received 11 calls reporting fights in the area since yesterday but all turned out to be hoaxes.
He said police today detained 23 more suspects, bringing the total number of those arrested to 177. Police also seized 34 more weapons last night, including knives, machetes, folding knives, iron pipes, Molotov cocktails, parang s and a tub of petrol.
Those detained were being questioned for offences under the Penal Code including murder and rioting, he added.
Nik Ismail assured the residents that police had the situation under control and residents were free to move about in the area.
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