The police had sealed off the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (SCAH) and stopped a planned anti-Internal Security Act meeting there last Tuesday because the organiser did not inform the police about the gathering, said Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today.

He said the police had acted accordingly with the problem on the ground to prevent the situation from getting out of order.

Abdullah, who is also the home minister, said an application must be forwarded to the police before any gathering is held as it is a normal procedure.

Asked to comment on Tuesday's standoff between the anti-ISA crowd and about 100 policemen outside the SCAH, he stressed that any group wishing to organise a public gathering must apply for a police permit. The standoff turned ugly after riot police beat up several people who turned up for the gathering.

The Tuesday's meeting was organised by the Abolish ISA Movement (AIM) to renew opposition against the ISA in the wake of last month's Federal Court decision which ruled that the initial detention of five reformasi detainees was unlawful.

Private premise

Malaysiakini was told by AIM vice-chairperson Zahir Hassan that the group did not apply for a police permit because the function was held in a private place.

Zahir claimed the organiser had submitted a letter to the Kuala Lumpur police chief informing him about the meeting after receiving a phone call from a police officer from Dang Wangi police station who had requested them to cancel the meeting.

However, the police has rejected the application as a 14-day notice was required.

The police also cited section 27 of the Police Act which empowers them to stop activities taking place on a private premise if they deem that the activities may be prejudicial to national security interests.

Zahir said he explained to the police officer that the meeting was being held at the building belonging to two AIM members Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall's Youth Section and the assembly's Civil Rights Committee.

Since the building is a private one, and the meeting is to be held indoors, the movement does not require any police permit for the meeting, he insisted.

Minor injuries

The three-hour standoff between the crowd and the police began at 6.30pm when the police ejected 20 people who were already in the building. Later, another 300 anti-ISA supporters turned up.

When the function was about take place at 8.30pm, 30 riot police armed with batons arrived to bolster the police presence.

When the crowd insisted on entering the building, about 10 people were beaten by the riot police and forced to back away from the building. Several of those clubbed suffered minor injuries.

Former ISA detainees, families of detainees, civil groups representatives and social activists were among those who turned up to attend the function. Keadilan president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail were among several leaders of opposition parties who were present.

On Sept 6, the Federal Court which heard the habeas corpus application of five reformasi detainees ruled that their initial 60-day detention made under section 73 of the ISA was unlawful and that the police had acted in bad faith in detaining them.

However, the decision did not result in their immediate release as, according to the court, it does not affect the subsequent two-year detention order signed by Abdullah in his capacity as home minister.