International Fact Finding mission & Malaysia elections

The International Fact Finding Mission in a press conference had scathing remarks about the election system in Malaysia, with one labeling the EC as backward:



Key recommendations and grave concerns
Media access for opposition politicians
Importance of verification of voters
Minimum election campaign
Ensure one vote one value (regarding fair approportionment)

Mohamad Nasir Tamara Tamimi (Indonesia)
Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo (Pakistan)
Clinton Fernandes (Australia)
Mobashar Jawed Akbar (India)

Crucial basis of democracy
Freedom from fear
Freedom of peaceful association

Malaysia does not deserve democracy
Slander should not be permitted as part of electoral rect....
No party should be allowed to excite community hatred
Oldest tactic: provoke the victim in order to blame the victim

urge Australia to play a leading role as part of the Commenwealth to ensure free and fair election

It was a peaceful demonstration and a case of the victims being victimized
Running away from tear gas cannisters only to be met by more canisters
Media completely biased and unfair

In other countries, buses were provided to gather the people to make success of the rally
Election Commission looked so backward

UMNO Secretart General

BERSIH 3.0: No barbed wires at place of breach

Caught this screen shot of a video clip of protesters streaming into Dataran Merdeka at a point where inexplicably there were no "barbed" wires (actually razor-bladed wire)

I was here before the rally started and the "barbed" wires barrier stretched the whole breath of Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, if I am not wrong. So did the police deliberately left that section without the razor-bladed wires to encourage the protestors to enter Dataran Merdeka?

Another eye witness account on what happened at BERSIH 3.0 and suspicions over who had rolled back the razor-bladed wires ("barbed" wires). Further confirmation that violence was probably planned and encouraged by authorities, from a commentator's comment over at Haris's People's Parliament blog:

I was at D Merdeka. But was at the front of DBKL when the melee started. But my brother and nephew were close to the truck on which were Anwar and Ambiga. According to my brother Anwar had gestured moving on towards Raja Laut. Ambiga had gestured that the sit in was over. It was about then that the barricades were breached. My nephew who was close to the breach felt himself pushed through it and he was in. The cops up front had receded. The major question my nephew has burning in his mind is, how come the razor wires were rolled up rather neatly and left lying by the side like as if someone who is familiar with piling it up had done it.
There is a tie up between the time the breach happened and the time Ambiga announced the rally over.
Until then any agent provocateurs would have remained quiet, thinking their job to begin only at 4.00. But when Ambiga prematurely announced the rally over the breach had to happen. According to a friend who also made through the breach at the Raja Laut entry point, discovered the cops missing. My brother finds all the DBKL staff locked in their building.
Later on at night, past 9.00pm there were 3 identical looking buses parked along Jalan Ipoh, in front of the Police Station that is under reconstruction. They had 1 Malaysia insignias on them. I saw 3 guys in mufti and another 3 in BERSIH T shirts chatting away. Agent Provocateurs? I wonder.

BERSIH 3.0: Further confirmation violence was planned

After extensive readings, I had already made up my mind that the authorities had planned and provoke the violence that marred BERSIH 3.0 rally. Here is one more evidence that it was so:

Calling out to all who were at the Bar Council yesterday.

Apparently some unidentified person or persons had removed the razor-sharp "barbed" wires of the barrier between the police and the protestors between the Bar Council building and Loke Yew building.

Tell me, for what other reasons that those intimidating barrier was removed if not to encourage the protestors to barge forward and thus be blamed for causing the violence?

Here is a screen shot of a video clearly showing a police officer hit a protester who is already lying on the ground and helpless:

The incriminating segment is at 0:06 second of the video clip below. After watching the video again, it was so obviously clear that the police were very brutal, hitting and kicking the poor victim again and again and surrounding him, beating him mercilessly:

Malaysia turnaround for the better?

I have never heard, read or seen any police ever admitting some facts favorable to the opposition, but today is the very first time I read that confirms Officer’s death unrelated to Bersih, police confirm.

I have even witnessed a Selangor Police Chief lied that the police did not charged at participants of a candlelight vigil on the anniversary the first BERSIH rally for free and fair election. I was at the rally and managed to video record the vigilers singing Negaraku and the police charging at the participants.

After violence erupted in the BERSIH 3.0 rally, there were rumours that police spread the false news that a policeman had died result of the rally to provoke the police into violence. The fact that the a senior police had admitted such and this lead me to believe that Malaysia may have turned the corner and starting to head to better times.

Boycott Star newspaper, unfair portrayal of BERSIH 3.0

When the Star newspaper had a free 1 month subscription, I despite my many years of boycotting the paper, I had decided to subscribe.

However, after extensive readings of what transpired before, during and after BERSIH 3.0 rally, I regretfully decided to continue my boycott and hope many more potential subscribers will join me in efforts to restore some semblance of true journalism.

BERSIH 3.0: Victims of police brutalities accounts & injuries

Just listen and see the injuries suffered by victims of police brutality during the BERSIH 3.0 rally in the video below:



After extensive readings and now strengthened by the victims accounts, there is no doubt in my mind that the violence that marred the rally is the result of deliberate provocations of the participants to create fear and probably to deter future rallies.

BERSIH 3.0: Police plotted and provoked violence?

Sounds likely from readings of what happened before, during and after the breaching the razor-bladed wires and barriers surrounding Dataran Merdaka that authorities provoked the violence that marred the BERSIH 3.0 as confirmed by members of the International Fact Finding Mission.

(Sorry, looks like there could be some mix-up because I left an earlier post unpublished but listen to the video of the press conference below and my attempt to put in print some of what I could catch from listening to the video:



According to some reports, inexplicably, a section of the barrier was left with no "barbed" wires plus just before the breach, the row of police just behind the barrier started to move back as if to encourage the protesters to breach the barriers.

Key recommendations and grave concerns
Media access for opposition politicians
Importance of verification of voters
Minimum election campaign
Ensure one vote one value (regarding fair approportionment)

Members:
Mohamad Nasir Tamara Tamimi (Indonesia)
Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo (Pakistan)
Clinton Fernandes (Australia)
Mobashar Jawed Akbar (India)

Crucial basis of democracy
Freedom from fear
Freedom of peaceful association

Malaysia does not deserve democracy
Slander should not be permitted as part of electoral rect....
No party should be allowed to excite community hatred
Oldest tactic: provoke the victim in order to blame the victim

urge Australia to play a leading role as part of the Commenwealth to ensure free and fair election

It was a peaceful demonstration and a case of the victims being victimized
Running away from tear gas cannisters only to be met by more canisters
Media completely biased and unfair

In other countries, buses were provided to gather the people to make success of the rally
Election Commission looked so backward

UMNO Secretart General Tengku Adnan opined that Malaysians are not ready for democracy.

EC Deputy Chairman caught lying

The Malaysia Election Commission Deputy Chairman Wan Ahmad was caught lying when questioned by the International Fact Finding team on his UMNO membership.

He had told the team that no current member of the EC is a member of any political party. However, just a few days ago he had admitted in a response to Sinar Harian that he is an inactive UMNO member.

This showed how incompetent our Election Commission officials are and there is no question as per BERSIH demand that they should resign!!!

Can you believe this? Hishamuddin said seizure of journalists cameras standard operating procedure?

I had always thought that Home Minister Kerismuddin is not smart, especially when he was caught on camera in a press conference with the cow head protesters saying silly things trying to justify the rowdiness and the stepping on the cow head by those protesters.

However, this take the prize. This silly Kerismuddin admitted the seizure of journalists (and manhandling) is police standard operating procedure? How can a lawyer and Home Minister admit that and put the police in scorn?

BERSIH 3.0: Police attack journalists recording brutality against protesters

A female reporter, Merdeka Review reporter Chen Shaua Fui, was manhandled by four male police personnel at about 7.30pm, when she tried to photograph police personnel beating up protesters who were eating at a restaurant.

“Police dragged out two people who were eating, arrested them and beat them up. I wanted to take a photo but was warned by police not to, so I didn’t.

“Then they went to another restaurant where two others were having their meal. The police asked them to take off their shirts, arrested and beat them. I wanted to take photos and that’s when they grabbed me,”

An Al Jazeera videoman was also ‘punched’

Al Jazeera reporter Harry Fawcett said that he was “manhandled” by several uniformed police personnel when he had tried to capture what looked like police assaulting protesters.

He told Malaysiakini that a group of 10 to 15 police personnel surrounded him and Al Jazeera videographer Ray Jones at Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman.

“We saw two or three police officers hold a guy while another was kneeing him either in the face or in the chest, it wasn’t clear.

“When we went to record it, I found that we were surrounded by police who were extremely aggressive. They held my arm and gripped my shirt. When I turned around, the camera was on the ground,” he said when contacted.

He said Jones told him that he was “punched at the back of the head” by police personnel and the camera was “smashed” to the ground.

“The camera was wrenched from him and our wireless microphone and battery pack was taken. The camera was smashed to the ground, and we coudn’t take the tape out. It was inoperable,” he said.

Minutes before the incident, Fawcett and Jones were also stopped from recording another incident where police allegedly assaulted protesters, and were also stopped by police.

“A group of protesters tried to enter Dataran Merdeka... two or three police officers would hold one guy while another punched his body. We were about 100 metres away from the scene,” he said.

Others hurt during the rally were Malay Mail photographer Arif Kartono, reportedly assaulted by several uniformed police personnel and Al-Hijrah videographer Mohd Azri Mohd Salleh, reportedly assaulted by protesters.

At least two media personnel, including Malaysiakini's photojournalist Koh Jun Lin, were also arrested in what appears to be an unprecedented heavy-handedness on journalists by the authorities.

Do you have photographs or video clips depicting police brutality during Bersih 3.0? Contact photo@malaysiakini.com and let Malaysiakini help you share them with Malaysiakini readers.

Source: Female reporter 'grabbed' by four male cops at rally

BERSIH 3.0: Mobashar Jawad Akhbar said violence provoked by police?

Mobashar Jawad Akhbar, a prominent Indian journalist and editorial director of India Today said that the violence in the BERSIH 3.0 rally for free and fair elections could be provoked by the police to create situations and images that will play well in the official media in order to blame them. According to Mobashar, this was a common old trick.

He said: "The crowd has been building overnight, they have ample time to be violent if they wanted to. It was very peaceful until the very end. I do believe that the provocation was perhaps done in order to create images that will play well in the official media,”

He said that this provoking the victims in order to blame them later, was “one of the oldest tricks” employed by various authorities and noted that the crucial essence of democracy is the freedom from fear, which he said is “non-negotiable”.

“Democracy does not function when ppl do not have right to assembly,” he said, praising the protestors for rising above fear.

BERSIH 3.0: Police attacks, not disperse crowd

The Malaysian Bar Council said that the police used excessive force and had actually attacked, not disperse the crowd of protestors:

'Dataran barrier breach no excuse for use of force'

2:01PM Apr 29, 2012

The police cannot justify the "grotesque use of force" at yesterday’s Bersih 3.0 rally by blaming the breach of the barricades in Dataran Merdeka, said the Bar Council.

“The crowds that had gathered for the Bersih 3.0 rally reflected a broad cross-section of Malaysian society, and were peaceful.
“The reported breach of police barricades in some areas does not justify the police unleashing the full force of their arsenal upon crowds that were peaceful,” said Malaysian Bar vice-president Christopher Leong (left).
He said the “grotesque use of force” by the police showed that they “do not have the maturity, discipline and restraint required of a professional force”.
“In this regard the Malaysian Bar strongly disagrees with the Minister of Home Affairs’ assertion that the police acted professionally,” said Leong in a statement today.
The rally, the saw an estimated 150,000 Malaysians of all ages march to Dataran Merdeka at the heart of Kuala Lumpur yesterday ended peacefully at 2.30 with the organisers calling for the protestors to disperse.
However, some protestors breached the barricades that the authorities had erected to cordon off the Dataran, Bersih’s original venue for their sit-in protest, and provoked the police into firing tear gas and water cannons at the crowds.
471 were arrested by the end of the day, including activists and members of the media.

Court order ‘flawed’
Leong also faulted the court order barring the public from assembling at the city’s iconic square, venue of the country’s independence gathering.
“The court order excluding members of the public from Dataran Merdeka is arguably defective in law due to a lack of specificity.
“Given that the Bersih 3.0 rally had been announced on April 4, 2012, there was no need to have obtained the order ex parte. 
“There had been ample opportunity for the relevant parties to be heard before deciding if such an order deserved to be issued,” said Leong.
The police had obtained thecourt order from the KL Magistrate’s Court at the last minute, that was in the judge’s own words, issued as “immediate action”.
Leong added that the order was granted over a situation “of the authorities’ own making” for having denied Bersih the use of the city square in the first place, despite the home minister having prior to that stated twice that the rally was not a security threat.
Leong charged that the police furthermore overstepped the ban order by closing roads beyond what was stipulated.

As a consequence, he said, the “restriction in access gave rise to a tense situation that contributed to the unnecessary violence that occurred”.
‘Cops hostile to monitoring’
The lawyer said while the Bar did not approve of the “belligerent conduct” of some of the protestors, the police on the other hand “displayed a lack of restraint and proportionality”.
He alleged that the police had acted not to disperse, “but is instead designed to attack, a crowd”.
Leong added that the lawyers’ monitoring teams also “witnessed numerous acts of police brutality” and said the police’s attitude was not merely to arrest, but was “punitive in nature” that he said “aggravated” the tense situation that unfolded in the latter part of the day.
He regretted that the police displayed “a general lack of cooperation” towards the Bar’s monitors and were at times even “hostile”

BERSIH 3.0: Malaysian Bar Council Statement

The Malaysian Bar is appalled at the abuse of the legal process and grotesque use of force by the police in connection with the Bersih 3.0 rally in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, April 28, 2012.

The crowds that had gathered for the Bersih 3.0 rally reflected a broad cross-section of Malaysian society, and were peaceful. The police were initially restrained, although they did try to stop people from reaching various pre-announced meeting points. However, the attitude of the police underwent a sea-change at 3:00 pm that day.

The reported breach of police barricades in some areas does not justify the police unleashing the full force of their arsenal upon crowds that were peaceful.

The police have shown in this incident that they do not have the maturity, discipline and restraint required of a professional force. In this regard the Malaysian Bar strongly disagrees with the minister of home affairs’ assertion that the police acted professionally.

The court order excluding members of the public from Dataran Merdeka is arguably defective in law due to a lack of specificity. Given that the Bersih 3.0 rally had been announced on 4 April 2012, there was no need to have obtained the order ex parte.

There had been ample opportunity for the relevant parties to be heard before deciding if such an order deserved to be issued. In addition, the order was obtained with respect to a situation of the authorities’ own making, by their unjustifiable denial of access to Dataran Merdeka. It is important to bear in mind that the minister of home affairs had previously announced that the Bersih 3.0 rally was not a security threat.

Nonetheless, having obtained the exclusion order, the police proceeded to disrespect the order by unilaterally closing additional roads and restricting access to other areas not covered by its terms. The terms of the order itself, the closing of the roads and the restriction in access gave rise to a tense situation that contributed to the unnecessary violence that occurred.

As has been done with some other public assemblies in the past, the Malaysian Bar deployed lawyers and pupils-in-chambers to act as monitors during the rally, numbering approximately 80. Our monitoring teams reported witnessing the use of an array of heavy-handed tactics by the police, including the indiscriminate discharging of multiple rounds of tear gas without any obvious provocation, and arbitrary use of water cannons.

Police fired tear gas directly at the crowd. They also manoeuvred their firing pattern to box in the participants rather than allowing them to disperse quickly. This is not action to disperse, but is instead designed to attack, a crowd. When items were thrown at the police, the police stooped to return like for like.

The Malaysian Bar does not countenance the belligerent conduct shown by a number of the participants. However, we express deep and serious concern as to how the police responded. The police displayed a lack of restraint and proportionality, reminiscent of their actions at the Bersih 2.0 rally on 9 July 2011. Instead of displaying action to calm the situation, they instead aggravated it and contributed to the escalation of the conflict.

Although organisers of public gatherings must bear some responsibility when things get out of hand due to their action or inaction, this does not and cannot excuse the response of the police.

The monitoring teams also witnessed numerous acts of police brutality, such as assault of arrested persons. Instead of merely apprehending suspects, the attitude of the police was punitive in nature.

The reported attacks by the police on members of the media, both local and international, and the confiscation and/or destruction of their photographs and video recordings, speaks to police action in covering up or preventing a full and accurate record of the Bersih 3.0 rally and the responses of the police.

Regrettably, the police also showed a general lack of cooperation towards the Malaysian Bar’s monitoring teams, and were hostile in their attitude and approach at times. This is most unprofessional and unbecoming, and serves as an unhealthy development with negative connotations for the future.

The Malaysian Bar notes that yesterday’s events have not occurred in isolation, but stem from the fundamental problems that gave rise to the Bersih 3.0 rally in the first place, namely the ongoing and outstanding issues relating to the electoral roll, and the lack of confidence in its integrity and that of the electoral process in Malaysia.

Those who look upon Dataran Merdeka as a symbol of freedom will view the exclusion from Dataran Merdeka as freedom denied. The promise by the government to respect democracy and human rights, and implement reforms, was tested yesterday.

The government’s response and actions during the Bersih 3.0 rally provided an indication of whether the new reform legislation will be perverted and abused in its use and implementation, where the wide powers vested in the authorities call for measured, proportionate and mature exercise. The events of 28 April 2012 do not bode well in this regard.

Transformation and real recognition of democratic rights come at a price, namely constant vigilance. The cost of not transforming and not allowing Malaysians the proper exercise of our democratic rights is too high. In Malaysia’s march towards developed nation status by 2020, which is only eight years away, the constitutional right to clean, free and fair elections cannot and should not be sacrificed.

BERSIH 3: What & Who caused the violence?

Today, as was expected, Malaysia's synchophantic printed newspapers ignoring the positive aspects of BERSIH 3.0 and highlighted some violence especially an overturned police patrol car featured on its front page. What caused this, a damaged and overturned police car:

It was this, the police patrol car recklessly speeding along Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, losing control and crashing into the demonstrators causing injuries. Below is a photo of the patrol car as it dived into the protestors walking along the sidewalk:

Below is the video which caught the patrol car speeding:



Here is the video of the injured protestor being placed on an improvised stretcher and being ferried away by an ambulance:

Today, as was expected, Malaysia's synchophantic printed newspapers ignoring the positive aspects of BERSIH 3.0 and highlighted some violence including an overturned police patrol car. What caused this, a damaged and overturned police car:

It was this, the police patrol car recklessly speeding along Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, losing control and crashing into the demonstrators causing injuries. Below is a photo of the patrol car as it dived into the protestors walking along the sidewalk:

Below is the video which caught the patrol car speeding:

Malaysiakini plea for photos & videos showing police brutality

Malaysiakini, being unable to publish photos showing police brutality during yesterday's BERSIH 3.0 rally for free and fair election is now appealing for those who have such photos and video clips to send them to photo@malaysiakini.com

Malaysiakini is doing this because its journalist Koh Jun Lin was arrested along and his memory card containg photographs of the rally were confiscated

Nayati Shamelin Moodliar abducted. Father begs for return

Update: Nayati has been released by his kidnappers and is now with his parents. Police has set up a special task force to track down the kidnappers. Anyone with information please contact the police at 03-2115 9999 or visit the nearest police station.

Here is a photo of Nayati Shamelin Moodliar, a 14 year student of the International School in Mont Kiara who was abducted when leaving the school. Do help spread the photo around and hopefully assist in efforts to locate and help return the boy to his desperate parents.

Watch the video below as his father tearfully plea for his return:



If anyone knows of his whereabout or have information that may help in locating and returning him to his parents, call 012-365 6202 or 019-233 3065

BERSIH 3.0: Police attack journalists

Did the Malaysian police coordinated an attack against journalists, local and foreign, to prevent journalists from recording police aggression, violence and assaults on participants of BERSIH 3.0 rally to be recorded and publicized?

According to Surendren of PKR, that was the case as reported in Malaysian Insider, PKR: Najib to blame for attacks on media at Bersih.

This was collaborated by Alzajeera's journalists and crew whose camera was busted by the police and Aljazeera's Harry Fawcett had to report using the Skype for iPad application.

Malaysiakini journalist Koh Jun Lin was also arrested along with several other members of the press while covering the rally at Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur. Koh's memory card containg photographs of the rally were confiscated, while another photographer said police destroyed his memory card after he refused to delete photographs of a melee.

Listen to his first-hand account of "police violence" in the video below: