Continuing from yesterday's post, I am reproducing below the Press Statement from MP Tian Chua -- nothing like hearing it from the horse's mouth! I would also like to reprise one of my own posts from days of yore relevant to my asking -- shouldn't have Haris resigned his Bersih2.0 Steerig Committee membership the moment he decided to lead MCLM? Another question I would add -- as was asked by several Commenters at People's Parliament -- what right had Haris got to arrogate unto himself from Bersih2.0 chief Ambiga to be the spokesperson for Bersih in condemning the MP from Batu at the Bersih rally? What are Haris' motives (something I will explore tomorrow...Note on 13 Sept 11 ~~ I apologise it has to wait while Desi gets out of QWriter's Block which I suffer from when tackling certain writHes "reluctantly!, YL, Desi)
~~ YL, Desi
Press Release by TIan Chua on the Brutal Teargas Attack at the KL Sentral Tunnel
July 28, 2011
The full text of the same is reproduced below.
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On July 21, the PDRM held a press conference to justify the violent conduct of police personnel. An edited video footage was released to the press in order to show that BERSIH demonstrators were aggressive and provocative. The PDRM claimed that they had only used minimal force against the peaceful assembly.
One particular clip showed the scene where the crowd marching out of the KL Sentral were met by a row of policemen. The video is said to show me leading the demonstrators running to the front. The PDRM asserted that it was an evidence of provocation.
Subsequently the video has been broadcast on prime time TV almost daily, with the objective of depicting BERSIH rally as violent. This edited video does not give the true picture of what happened at the tunnel that day.
The PDRM has launched an all-out media propaganda war to demonize BERSIH. Although the police did not specifically accused me for “charging” the police, reports in mainstream media insinuate that I and other demonstrators intended to “attack” or cause physical harm to the police officers.
This is far from the truth. From the video, it was clear that the policemen had their guns loaded with tear gas canisters. At the time, the crowd was trapped in an tunnel-like enclosed area. The group included BERSIH chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan, Anwar Ibrahim, Wan Azizah, Hadi Awang, Lim Kit Siang and other leaders and participants.
For anybody in that circumstances could notice the danger of staying in the enclosure once the police fire the tear gas. The video footage only showed a few people rushed out toward the open air, and tear gas was fired directly into the crowd.
The video also showed that the police fired the tear gas canisters horizontally into the enclosed zone non-stopped. The police action was evidently malicious and intended to cause maximum harm to the peaceful group without warning. It was unprovoked and unwarranted action. It was police brutality
Hundreds of people were eye-witnesses to the incident. The edited video cannot distort the truth. The government should accept the responsibility of excessive force against peaceful BERSIH rally. The witch-hunt whether on me or other participants cannot absolve the guilt of brutality on 9 July.
The video also showed that the police fired the tear gas canisters horizontally into the enclosed zone non-stop. At least 12 shells were fired in a matter of a couple of minutes. 3 persons suffered injury to the head. The injuries suffered by Anwar Ibrahim’s bodyguard Fayyadh Afiq Al Baqry who had his left cheekbone crushed were particularly serious.
I call upon the police to cooperate fully with the impending SUHAKAM inquiry where I believe the facts will be presented by all interested parties in a public inquiry. Let the public then judge based on those facts.
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And quoting from DonPlayPuks again wrt Tian Chua's press statement,(DPP is aka ES Shankar, my moderator pardner at BUM2011 and BUM2010 and BUM2009:):):),
donplaypuks Says:
July 28, 2011 at 9:31 pm
Puvan
I am one of the public (who also atttended Bersih09/07/2011) and I am on Tian Chuan’s side.
Bersih was a peaceful march. So, why did the police turn up in such large numbers with tear gas, water cannons and chemical laced water and FRU? By what right and under what law did they arrest those wearing yellow t-shirts and Dr.Jeyakumar and the other 5? “Waging war against the King and resurrecting Communism”??!! Rosemajib’s big fat ass!
No way was TC any kind of spark that lit any fire at KL Sentral. The police coralled Bersih supporters like cattle and then expected them to wait meekly and patiently for the slaughter?
TC was not remotely armed with anything that could be mistaken for a weapon. Oh, of course, like Ambiga and others, he was wearing a deadly yellow t-shirt which shook the police to the core, leading them to suspect that Bersih supporters were going to fish out a bazooka or fire a hand-held grenade launcher?
Come on, the cops were itching for it and did everything to provoke Bersih supporters. I was there and no way were Bersih supporters going to give the cops the slightest excuse.
However rash TC may sometimes be in his actions, he is someone I would rather have on my side any given day and twice on a Sunday, than anyone from UMNO/BN or the leadership of PDRM.
Don’t fall for this APCO spindoctoring and cleverly edited videos!
dpp
we are all of 1 Race, the Human Race
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orangkampung Says:
July 29, 2011 at 2:06 amI agree with dpp.
I was there for Bersih 2.
I was amongst a group of people near Maybank and we didn’t provoke the bangsat police and yet, they fire tear gas at us.
I saw with my own eyes 4 bangsat policemen were beating up a man and a Malay woman told the 4 bangsat to stop beating and you know what! the woman’s hands got tied up!!!!We suffered from breathing difficulty and many people offered us salt and water….they were kind souls.
So, I am on Tian Chua’s side. Even if you do nothing, the bangsat will hantam you with their tear gas, or baton or their legs to kick you.
The video has been edited for sure….Najib wants to use video to tell the orang kampung that their bangsat policemen had been provoked. Just look at how they deny shooting teargas into Tungshin hospital including Liow Tiong Lai….they are all liars.
Why Haris believe UMNO? UMNO already told so many lies about Tungshin Hospital incident…they denied and denied and denied….remember?
Haris, this is very unlike you….please do not attack Tian Chua who is on the same side as you. Thanks.
orangkampung
++++NOTE: As I indicated in my note in yesterday's post, I reproduced the following:
extracting some relevant parts from my post at this blog of Thursday Feb 17, 2011.......
Bersih2.0 muddied by People's Parliament playing 'active' politics
Bersih rallies for free and clean elections
YL Chong
My "concerned" activist-friend said that with Haris' involvement in MCLM -- touted by many as The Third Force -- he and several Bersih activists are not happy that the "neutrality" of Bersih is being compromised once MCLM started announcing "nominees" comprising so-called "Malaysians of integity" as candidates for GE13.
KUALA LUMPUR - I recently bumped into an non-governmental organisation (NGO) activist who expressed concern about civil rights lawyer-blogger Haris Ibrahim's increasingly "political" role in Malaysian politics. Nothing wrong with any individual playing politics except that Haris is also founder of People's Parliament which has been, and still is, a key component of the coalition named Bersih -- Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections 2.0 (BERSIH2.0)-- whose cornerstone role since its formation is fighting for free and fair elections in Malaysia. Just two weekends ago, the Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) was launched by blogger-in-exile Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK) in London with RPK being announced as the Chairman, and Haris as the President.
"Bersih" in Bahasa Malaysia means "Clean" and is the acronym for this coalition of NGOs started before the last general elections in 2008 (GE12) to improve all aspects of what was and still is perceived by the citizenry of a highly "tainted" electoral processes leading to the Malaysian Parliament as well as to the State Assemblies. And with the next general elections (GE13) expected to be around the corner, the weekend saw a briefing by Haris for NGOs on what MCLM is all about, and the previous weekend the launch of MCLM in Lodon.
My "concerned" activist-friend said that with Haris' involvement in MCLM -- touted by many as The Third Force -- he and several Bersih activists are not happy that the "neutrality" of Bersih is being compromised once MCLM started announcing "nominees" comprising so-called "Malaysians of integrity" as candidates for GE13 -- the first being lawyer said to be esteemed by the community, Malik Imtiaz Sarwar. A first public forum scheduled for tomorrow (Dec 21, 2010) in KL will see the second MCLM candidate publicised.
Will Bersih2.0 leaders now make a policy decision with component-members like Haris and RPK who want to actively take part in partisan politics, however "independent" they claim to be? Just for the record, some key Bersih2.0 Steering Committee Members hereby listed:
1. Dato’ Ambiga Sreenavasan Chairperson of BERSIH. Former President of Malaysian Bar Council and a senior practising lawyer.
2. Andrew Khoo Chairperson of the Human Rights Committee, Malaysian Bar Council
3. Arumugam K. President of SUARAM, a well-known human rights organisation
4. Dr Farouk Musa President of the Islamic Rennaisance Front, a think tank promoting civilisational dialogue; a lecturer
5. Maria Chin Abdullah Executive Director of Empower, a women and human rights organisation and working for democratic governance.
6. Haris Ibrahim Founder of Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia, a citizen movement that fights corruption and racism; a human rights lawyer
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I don't care what motivated RPK and Haris' latest move via MCLM, but I care if it threatens the people/Rakyat's concerted efforts to topple the BN-UMNO government in Putrajaya, which I contend MCLM's progress will despite the founders' and supporters' protestations to the contrary. ****IF you want to lay an active role as NGO, let it be, just don't start this process of contesting GE13 directly or indirectly. Join former PKR deputy president aspirant Zaid Ibrahim -- Go sign up as a KITA member-lah, for a start -- that's surely a basic desideratum of infant entry into playing politics, is it not?
posted by desiderata
