Ten individuals who were arrested outside the Prime Minister’s Department in Putrajaya last month had their police bail cancelled today and will not face criminal charges for the time being.

Putrajaya district police chief Supt Abd Razak Abdul Majid confirmed this when contacted.

The 10 were arrested on Oct 23 when accompanying Vwashnnavi Waythamoorthy, 6, to hand over a letter inviting Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to her family’s Deepavali ‘open house’. In it, she also appealed for the release of all Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees.

hindraf celebrate birthday in parliament 210508 s jayathas The group reported to the Putrajaya police station today as part of the conditions of bail.

“It seems for the moment, there is no charge,” said S Jayathas, who is also the co-coordinator for Police Watch and Human Rights Committee.

“They shouldn’t have arrested us in the first place. As citizens, we have the right to hand a letter to the prime minister.”

Jayathas said the police had acted wrongly and that the 10 had been denied their freedom for three days.

“This shows that there is a serious need for police and judicial reforms. The rights of the rakyat must upheld,” he said.

‘Right thing to do’

N Surendran, a lawyer for the 10, said his clients did not break any law by trying to hand a letter to the prime minister.

“The police have done the right thing today, even though they should not have arrested them in the first wahthamoorthy daughter memo 220108 w vwaishhnnavi place,” he said.

Vwashnnavi (right) is the niece of Hindraf legal advisor P Uthayakumar, currently being held under the ISA at the Kamunting detention camp in Perak, along with four other leaders of the movement.

She and her mother K Shanti had also been picked up by the police when the 10 were arrested but were allowed to leave the same night. However, Shanti elected to stay at the police station in potest of the detention of the others.

The 10 were remanded for three days and released on police bail just before Deepavali celebrations.

They were being investigated under Section 48 of the Societies Act for participating in an unlawful organisation.

Hindraf was declared illegal by the government on Oct 13 for posing a threat to national security and public order.