Video footage and photographs on the 'high-handed' action of the police in breaking up an anti-war protest last month was handed to the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) today.

Members of the Coalition Against War Malaysia also highlighted crucial evidence in their complaint which showed a chief inspector telling the protest organisers that they had more time to conduct their demonstration when only minutes later the 400-odd protesters were doused with chemical-laced water.

The audio-video clip showed Chief Inspector Shafie Muhamad, from the Dang Wangi police headquarters, agreeing to negotiations with the organisers while allowing them to continue their demonstration, against the Iraq war outside the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur, till 11.30am.

The protest on March 20, part of a worldwide protest against the continued occupation of Iraq by US and allied forces, had begun an hour earlier.

In relating the day's events, one of the protest organisers S Arutchelvan explained to Suhakam commissioners how riot police - under the orders of Cheras police chief Mohd Nor Masdar - fired upon the protesters at 11.15am without ample warning and time to disperse.

"Despite a very calm and relaxed atmosphere around the protest - the video and photos prove so - and despite assurances by the Dang Wangi chief inspector, chemicals were maliciously fired onto protestors - women and children included - without enough time to leave," he said.

Arutchelvan was accompanied by Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) chairperson Dr Mohamad Nasir Hashim, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) representatives and members of non-governmental organisations.

The PSM secretary-general also provided the commission with an-eight page detailed report of the incident and accounts of problems they have since faced in lodging police reports against the Cheras police chief.

Clear signs

Having listened intently to the briefing, Suhakam commissioners Prof Hamdan Adnan and N Siva Subramaniam told today's 20-odd delegation that there were clear signs of human rights abuses in relation to the police action against the protestors.

"We can't deny that, on what has been presented, there were clear human rights violations especially towards women and children. We will be engaging in a dialogue with the inspector general of police - on other police complaints as well - and raise this," said Siva.

"Please be assured that we will take this issue up especially since it was a global protest against the Iraq war - which the Malaysian government and the Malaysian people have long voice their opposition to."

To a question from the media, Siva acknowledged that a Suhakam representative, who was present on the protest day, had filed a report and the contents were similar to what he heard and saw today.

No guarantee

Siva however could not guarantee that Suhakam will conduct a public inquiry into the matter - a demand which the organisers submitted - as the matter needed to be raised with the commission as a whole.

At the footnote of the session, a member of the delegation, V Selvam said the commission need not have a reason such as an 'acceptable cause' to conduct investigations against an abuse of a human right.

"It was a trigger-happy situation in regards to the police of the day. The Cheras police chief had also criminally intimidated organisers. An inquiry should be held not just because it was a global protest."

The commission was told to act expeditiously on police abuses and were reminded of a similar police aggression when back in November 2000 police attacked crowds, heading to a rally, with tear-gas and excessive force.

Photo gallery - Anti-Iraq war protest