Special tags for media for Saturday's Uprising Rally at Stadium Merdeka

Well, let's give MInister Hishamuddin "benefit of the doubt" the Police means well, so it's up to the Press whether they want to don one more tage -- on top of the one issued by Information Department as well as the media organisation they represent. Quoting the esteemed minister, let's see the authorities honour their word: ""If you don't want to register, we can't force you.

"We're just giving more protection to the press," he (Hishamuddin Hussein) said today, as reported by The Sun..

From sun2surf.com:

Hisham: Nothing sinister about special media tags

Posted on 9 January 2013 - 08:55pm
Last updated on 10 January 2013 - 11:23am

Hemananthani Sivanandam
newsdesk@thesundaily.com

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PUTRAJAYA (Jan 9, 2013): Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said the police request for media personnel covering Saturday's rally to have special tags is merely a measure to guarantee their safety.

He said the police wanted to avoid untoward incidents such as those at the Bersih 3.0 rally last year.

"The main thing is to ensure that what happened last time won't recur and it is to identify the people who are actually going to cover the event, nothing more sinister than that.

"If you don't want to register, we can't force you.

"We're just giving more protection to the press," he said today.

He denied the measure is an interference in press freedom.

However, he said the responsibility of guaranteeing security also falls on the organisers and those involved in the gathering.

On Tuesday, the police, in an unprecedented move, urged journalists covering the rally to wear special police-issued tags for ease of identification.

Bar Council president Lim Chee Wee, meanwhile, criticised the police over the move, saying the press should be treated no differently from participants and monitors in public rallies.

"The press ought to be treated with respect and protected from harm," he said in a statement.

"Suhakam has made recommendations on how the police can better manage rallies, namely, restraint and adequate warning in respect of use of non-lethal force such as tear gas and water cannon," he said.

*****CIJ executive director Masjaliza Hamzah noted that journalists already wore tags which identify their affiliation with media organisations, on top of tags issued by the Home Ministry.

"What the police should have done is issue a standard operating procedure on how police handle journalists during public assemblies," she said in a statement.

DESIDERATA: I would prefer to stand behind CIJ's guideline as marked by ***** above-- that is, wear your company's tag, and Hisham orders his police officers and men on duty to "behave themselves professionally". Please also everybody, especally PKR, DAP and PAS members, adopt a NON-CONFRONTATIONAL STANCE with all parties; but should you see some "agents provocateur" -- like those UMNO youth putera guys and ah, yes, from NGOS like Perkosa -- let your party leaders handle them. Me, I am standing right behind TWO burly-built men I am bringing from FuRong! ~~ YL, Desi, knottyaSsusual.

PS:I am also bringing along 1,000 copies of my anthology "MIDNIGHT VOICES and Other Poems" to sell at special price of RM12.00 per kopi; you want me to autrograph, OK-lah, for a kopi at tehtarik stall later, K!