A DAP parliamentarian slammed the government today for not being able to make a distinction between the July 9 "peaceful Bersih rally" in Malaysia and "the violent riots" in London.

Seputeh MP Teresa Kok lashed out at Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and deputy inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar for drawing similarities between the two events, without any basis.

"In the United Kingdom, the riots occurred at random, with no clear or specific agenda except to produce a state of chaos.

"In Kuala Lumpur, the Bersih rally had a planned and organised goal. Its agenda, date and time to disperse were openly stated, with the knowledge of the government, police, media and the public from the very beginning.

NONE "The organiser had also pointed out that the rally was a peaceful one," Kok said in a statement.

The riots in Tottenham, London, since last week, have resulted in the shutting down of hundreds of business outlets, looting and robberies.

Hundreds of stores were looted, buildings were set ablaze and several people died amid the mayhem that broke out in London last Saturday and spread to other cities, including Birmingham and Manchester.

Kok said there was "no report" of looting or robberies during the Bersih rally. In fact, food outlets stayed open and made profits from the thousands who had gathered to make the rally a success.

"In KL, the smoke was from the tear gas fired by the riot police on peaceful demonstrators and gas canisters were even launched into a hospital," she said.

Yesterday, Hishammuddin expressed gratitude that the violence that spread in London did not happen in Kuala Lumpur, and added that the event "should not taken for granted".

dj jamal hishammudin rais and teresa kok forum 270910 08 On Monday, a Malaysian student was reported to have sustained a broken jaw after being attacked and mugged by rioters.

Khalid, on the other hand, defended police action in coming down on demonstrators during the July 9 Bersih rally as it prevented violence , as was seen on the streets of London.

"I urge Hishammuddin to open up and learn from the UK government and police how to manage riots," said Kok ( right ), as British police arrested only about 1,000 people, although the riots have been going on for more than five days.

She compared this to the local situation, where the police in Kuala Lumpur arrested about 1,700 people during a peaceful rally of a few hours.

"I regret that Hishammuddin is blind and has not repented, even after viewing hundreds and hundreds of video recordings to prove the police were using excessive force.

"He has turned a deaf ear to the loud condemnations from Malaysians and the international community, and still supports the police action and the FRU."