Opposition parties PAS and PKR today urged the police to reveal the identity of the man photographed burning the national flag during the clash in Kuala Terengganu over the weekend.

The photograph, which showed a man wearing a crash helmet, was published by almost all the major dailies.

In a joint press conference in Kuala Lumpur, both PAS and PKR stressed that the police were capable of identifying the culprit.

PKR Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Akin said there were good reasons to suspect that those involved in the incident were agent provocateurs out to tarnish the name of opposition parties.

"We see the pictures in the newspapers and we know, they were taken by the police," he claimed, adding that there were reports in the Chinese media stating that the police had confiscated the cameras of pressmen during the incident.

Police permit

Saturday's clash in Pantai Batu Buruk stemmed from the police's refusal to grant a permit for a public forum organised by the opposition backed election watchdog Bersih.

Previously, Terengganu police chief SAC I Ayub Yaakob said the permit was not granted because the area, a popular tourist spot, was deemed unsuitable.

The clash saw seven people injured, including four policemen. Two people suffered gunshot wounds when a policeman opened fired four times when he was set upon by an armed mob.

Following the incident, newspapers, among others, published the photograph of the flag burning and attributed it to national news agency Bernama .

Speaking at today's press conference, PAS central committee member Dr Hatta Ramli said the photograph was suspicious and urged the police to investigate it.

"If the police cannot, through photographic forensics, determine the identity of the culprit, we can assume that the police cannot even handle small matters," he added.

PAS Youth chief Salahuddin Ayub said the Youth wings of both opposition parties will lodge a police report regarding the matter in Terengganu later today.

They added they did not condone such acts of flag burning and want the culprit punished.

Terengganu Umno Youth lodged a similar police report on Monday and called on the government to strip the flag burners of their citizenship.

Independent probe sought

In a related development, Bersih today submitted a memorandum to the Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan, urging that a royal commission of inquiry be formed to investigate the clash.

The memorandum also demanded that the police provide a full explanation on the use of live bullets in a public assembly.

Additionally, the memorandum also reiterated that Bersih had informed the police that they would not proceed with their activities prior to the incident, but the police allegedly initiated action against the crowd.

Previously, the Terengganu police chief claimed that they only retaliated when the crowd turned violent.

The Bersih memorandum was received by Bukit Aman public relations officer ASP N Venugopal ( left ).

According to PAS vice-president Mohd Sabu, Bersih would be lodging an official complaint with the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) tomorrow.

He said Bersih would be continuing with their nationwide roadshows to educate the public on their electoral rights and electoral irregularities.

Bersih, or Coalition for a Free and Fair Election, is an alliance of over 60 NGOs and five opposition parties to campaign for electoral reforms.

Related report

T'ganu police chief: Constable fired FOUR shots