PRM, Suaram peeved with police action at Anwars birthday do
PRM Youth leaders are peeved that a simple birthday bash by supporters of jailed ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim was thwarted by the police today resulting in two being manhandled and arrested.
PRM Youth deputy chief Latheefa Koya, who attended the gathering this morning, said that the police used high-handed approach to block Anwar's 55th birthday celebration by about 100-odd supporters in Sungai Buloh.
Anwar, who was sacked and jailed in 1998, turned 55 yesterday. His supporters have each year tried to gather outside the Sungai Buloh prison to symbolically mark the day but their attempts have always been thwarted by police.
Every year on his birthday, police will conduct road blocks as early as 7am along the road to the prison, starting from Bandar Sungai Buloh. Outside the prison walls, police will be prepared with water cannon trucks and Federal Reserve Unit personnel.
Latheefa said the police went berserk when a Keadilan leader Badrul Hisham Saharin stood on a table and requested people to gather round him so that they could cut the cake and sing a birthday song for Anwar.
"A policeman shouted and asked him to get down but we argued with him and asked what was wrong. He (Badrul) was not even using a loud hailer," she told malaysiakini .
"The police then gave us five minutes to move out but we negotiated for ten minutes. Finally when Badrul displayed the banner, the police became angry," she added.
A people's gathering
According to Latheefa, police then grabbed PRM Youth vice chairperson Jonson Chong and dragged him to the truck. Chong, a lawyer, and another Keadilan Youth leader were later released.
"We refused to leave until they released Chong. When he finally came out of the truck, his T-shirt was torn," she said.
"We were there to attend a people's gathering. It will be peaceful if not for the police," she added.
But while the PRM leaders negotiated with the police, the group managed to cut the cake and chanted a few reformasi slogans.
Other PRM leaders who were present were president Syed Husin Ali, assistant secretary-general Ang Hiok Gai and Youth chief Faisal Sanusi.
Latheefa said PRM will be lodging a complaint against the police for their "high-handedness" this morning.
Harmless and peaceful
Meanwhile, Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram), a human rights organisation, expressed shock at the police action in "needlessly impeding and stopping" Anwar's birthday celebration.
Suaram coordinator Eric Paulsen said that had the police been more respectful, understanding and patient, the celebration would have gone without any untoward incident.
"It was a harmless and peaceful gathering of Anwar's supporters displaying solidarity and strength," he said in a statement today.
"There is nothing illegal in speaking and assembling peacefully in public," he added.
Paulsen urged the relevant authorities to be mindful and to adhere to the recommendations made by the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) on the freedom of assembly.
He called on the police to stop trampling all over these constitutional and human rights and freedoms and instead to respect, protect and preserve them.
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