Penang Chief Minister Koh Tsu Koon should ask the police to drop all charges against SOS (Save Ourselves) leader Ong Boon Keong and members Ooi Chuan Seng and Leong Yuet Khau, said DAP chairman Lim Kit Siang

He also questioned the basis of Penang police's detention of the trio who were involved in a campaign against the repeal of the Rent Control Act.

"The police have exceeded its powers and jurisdiction in trying to help the Penang chief minister to extricate himself from his failure to fulfil his promise to the pre-war tenants to resolve their problems," said Lim.

According to Lim, there were many abuses of power in the case of SOS and their protest against the repeal of the Rent Control Act on Jan 1 this year, which affects 16,116 families and 60,273 people in Penang alone.

"There was an attempt to magnify last Friday's peaceful protest into a case of rioting, in which the police had summoned the magistrate from the courthouse to the state police headquarters to extend the remand order for Ong and Ooi by five days," said Lim.

Lim added that Koh should also explain whether he was responsible for lodging a police report against the SOS activists for rioting over last Friday's incident.

"It would be sad if the Penang chief minister, who has expressed support for human rights and civil liberties, to allow such an outrageous charge of rioting against the three SOS activists to stand," said Lim.

"This would be tantamount to telling Malaysians that they could be charged with rioting if they exercise their democratic right to protest against government leaders whether national or state, for their failure to resolve the people's socio-economic problems caused by government neglect."

A Sun report yesterday had quoted the Penang police chief Arthur Edmonds as saying that "SOS rioters blocked the official car (of the CM), draped it with a banner, and challenged the chief minister to get out of his car. They also started kicking and hitting the car."

Ong, who held a press conference following his release yesterday, said he and his group had never resorted to violence as they believe in a peaceful approach to their problem.

"SOS members did not kick the chief minister's car," he told malaysiakini by telephone from Penang, refuting media reports that SOS members had resorted to violence when they confronted Koh last Friday.

While the three SOS activists were released yesterday on police bail, it is unclear whether they would be charged at a later date.