The 12 protesters involved in the infamous cow-head protest last year were fined RM1,000 each by the Shah Alam Sessions court today, after pleading guilty to an alternative charge of taking part in an illegal assembly.

NONE Four of them however were granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal from additional sedition charges by judge Hasbi Hasan, after the prosecution decided not to pursue the case.

The four - Ibrahim Sabri, 43, Ahmad Mahayuddin Abd Manaf, 37, Ahmad Suhairy Zakaria, 31 and Mohd Hilmi Ali, 41 - maintained their innocence and were supposed to go through separate trials to hear their cases related to the desecration of the cow-head - deemed offensive to Hindus.

But deputy public prosecutor Ishak Mohd Yusoff told reporters after today's trial that they decided not to submit further evidence in both cases as two other protesters, Eyzva Ezhar Ramli, 32, and Mohd Azmir Mohd Zain, 36, had already plead guilty to similar charges.

Eyzva pleaded guilty to carrying the cow-head with the intent to incite racial tension while Azmir admitted to a separate charge of carrying and stepping on the cow-head to incite racial tension.

NONE Eyzva was sentenced to one week's jail and a RM3,000 fine, but his jail term will only take effect after he completes his current incarceration for an unrelated offence under the Dangerous Drugs Act.

Azmir was fined RM3,000. Both however must pay the fine, failing which they will face three months in jail.

 Visibly relieved

The six were part of the group of 12 protesters who pleaded guilty to taking part in an illegal assembly in protest to the Selangor state government's proposed relocation of a Hindu temple to a mainly Malay-Muslim area in Section 23, Shah Alam, on Aug 28 last year.

The others include Jainudin@Zainudin Md Yusof, 68, Mohd Jurit Ramli, 40, Mohammad Nordin Zakaria, 47, Jamil Mohamad Isa, 41, Rahimuddin Md Harun, 40, and Azahari Shaari, 40.

The group looked visibly relieved when Hasbi read out her judgment, though Eyzva and Azmir appeared expressionless, given the additional punishment meted out to them.

The 12 nevertheless proceeded to congratulate one another and their lawyers at the end of the trial, clearly happy that the whole affair had ended.

Earlier when reading out her judgment, Hasbi pointed out that Ishak had argued succinctly that the actions by the 12 men were racially insensitive.

NONE "Malaysia is a multi-racial country and the court agrees that we must be sensitive to race-related issues. We must take a practical and holistic view," she said.

"I hope in future the accused will all be more sensitive in their actions. It is also hoped that this sentence will serve as a deterrent to others in future."

The group were initially charged under Section 27(5A) of the Police Act 1967, but were offered an alternative charge under Section 143 of the Penal Code which carries a lower penalty of six months' jail or fine.

(The penalty under Section 27 carries a jail sentence of between two and 10 years and a fine of not more than RM10,000.)

The cow-head protest sparked a nationwide outcry against the offensive display, with a total of 98 police reports lodged across the country against the protesters.

It also earned Malaysia international notoriety, with especially unflattering views from the Indian media.

In a Reuters report, critics said the light sentences may further strain race relations between Muslims, who make up the majority of the country's 28 million population, and minority Hindus and Christians who complain of discrimination.

"Going (forward), this will become a political issue for the country's minorities and further reinforce their unhappiness," said James Chin, a politics professor at Monash University in Kuala Lumpur.