The police who let loose tear gas cannisters near Masjid Jamek, were they trying to disperse the crowd or were they punishing the protesters?
If what Chua Jui Meng, former Health Minister and current PKR Vice-President said is true, it sounds more likely that the police were tear gassing the crowd not to disperse them but to punish them, and this seemed to be buttressed by what happened elsewhere.
According to Chua Jui Meng, he was trapped inside Masjid Jamek when he together with others which include many senior citizens sought refuge there. Chua said he negotiated with a police officer holding the rank of assistant commissioner, wearing a name tag saying ‘Jamal' to allow them a free and safe passage out of the area and 'Jamal' agreed.
However, as they were leaving the mosque, the police fired tear gas and water cannon at them. Not only that. Chua said that the tear gas was stronger and more stinging than those used at BERSIH 2.0
"I too suffered difficulty in breathing and was choking. I thought I was going to die there as I felt a strong burning sensation in my lungs.
"There were many, many people at Bersih 3.0 and I could not run anywhere. I see that the government is taking punitive measures to punish the rakyat by using such devices," Chua said.
Source: Police broke word by firing tear gas near Masjid Jamek
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