All 19 Pakatan Rakyat assemblymen and supporters arrested earlier Tuesday were released on police bail about five hours later after having had their statements recorded.
Police had arrested an MP, eight assemblymen, the former state Speaker and five workers from an events management firm that was hired by Pakatan to organise a three-day hunger strike.
Ipoh Barat MP Kulasegaran, Malim Nawar assemblyman Keshvinder Singh and Tronoh assemblyman V. Sivakumar -- also the former State Assembly Speaker -- and his political secretary were arrested while walking from Wisma DAP here to the Ipoh High Court, where Pakatan-appointed Village Security and Development Committee (JKKK) heads were filing a suit against the Barisan Nasional state government.
Pakatan Rakyat assemblymen and MPs M. Kulasegaran (second from left), Jalong assemblyman Leong Mee Meng (third from left), Tronoh assemblyman N. Sivakumar (fourth from left) walking from Wisma DAP towards the Ipoh High Court before they were stopped and arrested by the police on Tuesday. - SAIFUL BAHRI/The Star
At about the same time, Pakatan reps Thomas Su (Pasir Pinji), Chang Lih Kang (Teja), Lim Pek Har (Menglembu), Leong Mee Meng (Jalong), Chan Ming Kai (Simpang Pulai) and several others were arrested outside Wisma DAP for refusing to disperse.
The hunger strike was, however, allowed to proceed and began at 10:55am. It was aimed at pressing for a dissolution of the State Assembly and for fresh polls to be called.
The hunger strike, involving Pakatan assemblymen in Perak and being led by former Perak mentri besar Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin and Sivakumar, will end at 8pm this Thursday.
The five events-management employees -- three of them reportedly Myanmars -- were arrested while setting up outside Wisma DAP here at about 7am on Tuesday.
More than 10 truckloads of police and members of the Federal Reserve Unit had set up camp as early as 6:30am around the DAP headquarters.
They are believed to have also confiscated some of the material, including a canopy, being set up by the events-management firm.
Meanwhile, Perak DAP chairman Ngeh Koo Ham lodged a report against the police for alleged abuse of power.
He lodged the report at the Ipoh district police headquarters on Tuesday afternoon, not long after he was denied entry to see the Pakatan Rakyat assemblymen and supporters arrested earlier Tuesday.
In PETALING JAYA, Gerakan Youth chief Lim Si Pin urged the police to exercise restraint and rationality.
The five workers of the events-management firm should not have been detained, he said in a press statement.
“A hunger strike is a form of non-violent protest and police should not have intervened,” said Lim, adding that the police action could be misconstrued as having been sanctioned by the Barisan Nasional.
( Source : The Star Online )
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