A police officer who headed an arresting team on July 9 told the Suhakam inquiry today that officers and personnel had been put through a three-day course before the Bersih 2.0 rally for electoral reform.

ASP Aron Dincscan said they had been trained on relevant aspects of the law and instructed on the ones to be apprehended

NONE "We were told to arrest protesters who behaved aggressively and those wearing the banned Bersih 2.0 t-shirts,” said Aron (left) .

"We were also briefed on the limits of the law and on the arrested person's rights ... and taught the procedures to be followed.”

However, the officer said he did not know how much time was to be allocated for crowd dispersal, as this was another officer’s task.

Questioned by Human Rights Commission vice-chairperson Khaw Lake Tee, Aron said he does not know if there are guidelines or standard procedures for the police in handling demonstrations.

Aron, who headed the team that arrested Hanafi Hawari, said he did not see the youth being assaulted as alleged , but saw him later at the Dang Wangi police station.

He also said he did not direct his personnel to give Hanafi medical treatment, since the injuries were not serious.

"There were only (boot) scratch marks on him. He was wearing a Bersih t-shirt and there were no blood stains," Aron said.

NONE Malaysian Bar Council president Lim Chee Wee (right) then showed him that Hanafi had been wearing a second t-shirt that was bloodied, but the officer disclaimed knowledge of this.

When testifying this morning, Hanafi had identified his arresting officer as ‘Anuar’ and as being under Aron's charge.

However, Aron said he could not remember the name as many of the officers on duty that day were not from Kuala Lumpur.

Asked as to what equipment was supplied to officers, Aron said they were issued with plastic handcuffs and pistols. As head of the arresting unit near Maju Junction, he carried a walkie-talkie.

“Some of the officers were in uniform while others were wearing a vest with the words ‘Police’ marked on it. These are the only ones issued to us,” he said.

When Khaw pointed out that Hanafi claimed he was pepper-sprayed not once but three to four times, Aron said that could have been issued to other units but not to the arresting squad.

‘Crowd was orderly’

To further questions from Lim, Aron said the crowd was been orderly and there had been no destruction of property or looting.

“They did not confront the police or throw objects us,” he said, adding the crowd had only marched forward to about 50 metres from where the police had positioned themselves.

Lim also asked the witness or police to produce the list of 1,700 arrested persons that day and to produce the name of the officer who had issued directives.

Quizzed by ACP Jamaluddin Abdul Rahman, Aron said there were shouts of ‘Bersih 2.0' and ‘reformasi’ and ‘Hidup-hidup’ by the rally participants.

“It is not like in a stadium where there is control. As law enforcement officers, we felt uneasy but we had to enforce the law, as this was an illegal gathering as announced by the minister,” he said.

“The minister had declared that Bersih 2.0 to be an illegal organisation and we had to act on it.”

Cooperation from police

Khaw later told a press conference that the panel will also focus on the Tung Shin Hospital incident where police are alleged to have shot chemical-laced water and tear gas into the compound.

She said the Suhkam secretariat is considering writing to the Health Ministry to get its report on the incident.

NONE “Certainly the Tung Shin episode is an important reference in the public inquiry,” she said.

She acknowledged that the public inquiry is getting good cooperation from the police.

The only difficulty, she said, is that some officers are stationed in other states and Suhakam officers have had to travel to Perak and Kedah to take their statements before they testify in Kuala Lumpur.

Despite receiving feedback from 36 individuals, only 17 have come forward to have their statements recorded before testifying at the public inquiry, Khaw said.

“Two (of them) alleged (today that they were) hurt by the police. Another will testify tomorrow and this will be followed by (testimony by) four police officers,” she said.

Khaw denied that the public inquiry is exceeding its terms of reference.

“It is conducted pursuant to the complaints and memoranda received on the alleged use of excessive force by enforcement officers during the rally ... (The inquiry) is directed to improving enforcement and respect for human rights.”

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