A witness in the rioting trial of six Keadilan leaders today was ticked off twice by the Kulim Magistrates' Court for giving hearsay evidence.

S Murugesan was testifying against Mohd Ezam Mohd Nor, Tian Chua, N Gobalakrishnan, Azmin Ali, Ruslan Kassim and Zamil Ibrahim, who were charged with rioting during the Lunas by-election in Kedah, in November 1999.

During cross-examination, the witness, who is an MIC member, said several times that people told him on polling day that busloads of passengers were being detained by Keadilan supporters.

Magistrate Noor Hashim Ismail* interjected twice, saying: "Don't just say what you had heard. We want to know what you had seen."

Murugesan, who was a passenger in one of the buses, told the court that he saw several Keadilan leaders boarding the bus, their supporters shouting, carrying sticks and cameras.

( *Correction : It was discovered the next day of this report that the presiding judge is Rosnani Saud. We apologise for the error.)