PSM women hit, told to drink toilet bowl water, change clothes in front of men

Parti Sosialis Malaysia, picked on by the authorities and accused of ’rekindling’ Communism, has made startling revelations. 14 of its women members detained in a recent crackdown have been “kicked on the legs”, “pushed and spat on”, told to drink water from the toilet bowl and forced to change clothes in front of male officers.

The women were part of a group of 30 PSM members, including Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj, who were arrested at the Sungai Dua toll plaza in Penang. They had been travelling in a bus and were part of a roadshow and leafleting campaign for the July 9 Bersih Rally for free and fair elections.

Since then the group has been controversially remanded for 7 days, separated and sent to three police lockups at Kepala Batas, Penang and Sungai Dua.

Too little, too late

Amid huge public outcry, the federal government has allowed the High Court to hear on Wednesday an application for the revision of the remand order. But it maybe too little and too late.

Outraged colleagues and family members of the detainees initially denied visitation rights have decided to blow the whistle on the alleged misconduct of the Malaysian police, who have from Day One been accused of bullying the motley group of mostly lower-income ethnic Indians.

PSM central committee member V Selvam was reported as telling Malaysiakini that one woman detainee had been “pushed and spat on”, while another, G Pakialetchumy, was “kicked on the legs”. Detainee P Jody, who asked for drinking water, was even told to drink from the toilet bowl.

“When a detainee asked for drinking water to take pills for diabetes, she was given syrup water. When the women were told to change into lock-up clothes, male officers were in front of them,” Selvam said.”That is why we became suspicious when the police denied the families their visitation rights yesterday although they were told on Monday that they would be allowed in."

PSM has lodged a police report in Kepala Batas on the various complaints received.

Najib must explain and apologise

Meanwhile, Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael and two others have been taken to the Penang Hospital for suspected dehydration and diabetes.

“We took Dr Jeyakumar along to the hospital at about 2pm and brought him back to the state police contingent headquarters an hour later,” Star reported Penang police chief Ayub Yaakob as saying on Tuesday.

"We wanted to ensure that the medicine was suitable for Dr Jeyakumar’s consumption. At the same time, we also sought the doctors’ advice on his health condition

But the police efforts to calm the relatives of the PSM members failed to convince many Malaysians, who are demanding the immediate release of the detainees and a full explanation and apology from Prime Minister Najib Razak and his government.

Even now, the police are tryining to brazen out from the situation of their own creation. On Sunday, Penang deputy police chief Abdul Rahim Jaafar announced that the group were “waging war” against the King.

“They were carrrying items inciting the people to hate the government. This is serious and can threaten national security.”They include flyers and t-shirts with Chin Peng, Rashid Maidin and Suriani Abdullah - all connected to MCP - written on them," Abdul Rahim said.

Charade continues

On Tuesday, in Kuala Lumpur, CID director Bakri Zinin continued the charade.

He said police were looking at several angles in their investigation into PSM. The case is being investigated under Section 122 of the Penal Code which relates to the collecting of men, arms or ammunition with the intention of waging war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, a Ruler or Yang Dipertua Negri.

“They had made much preparation, such as distributing leaflets and wearing T-shirts propagating the ideology with the aim of inciting the people to hate the government,” Bernama reported Bakri as saying.

The PSM is a grassroots party built on a socialist platform and focuses on the marginalized and helpless members of the Malaysian community. Like most opposition parties, PSM is not wealthy and Michael is its only elected representative.

Written by Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle

Wednesday, 29 June 2011 13:14

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 Police bully PSM: 30 members nabbed for ’waging war’ against King

Police have accused Parti Sosialis Malaysia of hiding behind the Bersih 2.0 rally to rekindle ’communist ideology’, referring to the arrest of Sungai Siput MP Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj and 30 other activists at Sungai Dua toll plaza a day ago.

“They were carrrying items inciting the people to hate the government. This is serious and can threaten national security,” Penang deputy police chief Abdul Rahim Jaafar told reporters on Sunday.

The police also seized various items associated with the Malayan Communist Party ideology from the activists, who were travelling from Sungai Petani, Kedah to Penang, he added to back up his allegations.

“They include flyers and t-shirts with Chin Peng, Rashid Maidin and Suriani Abdullah - all connected to MCP - written on them,” Abdul Rahim said.

A t-shirt does not a communist make

His comments sparked an immediate uproar. Of late, Prime Minister Najib’s government has come under fire for intimidating and ’bullying’ ways, detaining people who wore the Bersih t-shirt to promote a July 9 rally calling for free and fair election.

On Sunday, more than 70 activists were also nabbed by the police, as the Najib administration resorted to strong arm tactics to deter the people from attending the Bersih 2.0 rally.

However, gauging from another peaceful walk in Najib’s own home-state of Pahang, where 1,000 Kuantan folk assembled to protest the establishment of a rare earth plant, the PM will end up the loser if he does not accept the reality that Malaysian society wanted reform.

“Is the Penang police saying, if I wear a Mao Tse Tung t-shirt, I am also a communist. This is an outright act of bullying PSM members,” PKR vice president Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.

“What is happening is that the BN has no case. They cannot defend, so they are using all sorts of silliest excuses and this makes the people even angrier. Like the Bersih yellow t-shirt. Yellow is the colour of the Agong. How can the police simply arrest people just for wearing yellow? They are making real fools of themselves.”

Gunning for PAS, PKR members

Meanwhile, Rahim said the 30 activists, who like Michael are PSM members, were aged between 18 and 64 year.

They were remanded to facilitate investigation into the case Section 122 of Penal Code for waging war on Yang diPertuan Agong.

In the latest development in Kuala Lumpur, police have detained another eight men for wearing yellow t-shirts with ’Bersih 2.0’ written in Jawi at Taman Kosas, Ampang.

“They were also found to have disrupted public order while riding on their motorcycles in the area. It was the reason for their arrest,” Bernama reported Ampang Jaya Police Chief ACP Amiruddin Jamaluddin as saying.

Amiruddin said they were being detained at the Ampang police station and police would release them after recording statements from them.

The eight, aged between 20 and 40, are believed to be supporters of opposition parties, most likeLY PAS or PKR members They were detained at 11am in front of the Taman Kosas mosque.

Written by Stan Lee, Malaysia Chronicle

Sunday, 26 June 2011 18:34

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 PSM allowed to appeal detention of MP, 29 others

GEORGE TOWN - The High Court will hear on Wednesday, an application for the revision of the seven-day remand order issued against Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj and 29 others.

Four lawyers applied to a High Court for a revision of the seven-day remand order that was issued on Sunday by Butterworth Sessions Court against the Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) members.

The application was filed by V. Parthipan, C. Ravichandran, Agatha Foo and Karen Lai at a High Court here at noon Tuesday.

V. Parthipan said the family of the arrested PSM members were not satisfied with the remand order, which expires this Saturday.

He said the High Court judge Datuk Zamani A. Rahim will hear the application at 2.30pm Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Penang police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Wira Ayub Yaakob has assured family members of Dr Jeyakumar of his welfare and safety.

He said the MP was taken to the Penang Hospital with his medicine, given by his family members, for verification purposes.

“We took Dr Jeyakumar along to the hospital at about 2pm and brought him back to the state police contingent headquarters an hour later.”We wanted to ensure that the medicine was suitable for Dr Jeyakumar’s consumption. At the same time, we also sought the doctors’ advice on his health condition," he said when contacted.

Besides Dr Jeyakumar, it is learnt that two others were also taken to the hospital for suspected dehydration and diabetes.

Dr Jeyakumar and 29 others are being investigated for allegedly intending to wage war against the King.

The group, including 14 women aged between 16 and 64, were travelling in a bus from Sungai Petani to Penang when they were arrested at the Sungai Dua toll plaza of the North-South Expressway on Saturday.

In Kuala Lumpur, CID director Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Zinin said police were looking at several angles in their investigation into PSM for allegedly trying to rekindle communist ideology in the country, Bernama reports.

He said the police were also taking into account the materials seized from the PSM activists who were held by the police on Saturday.

The case is being investigated under Section 122 of the Penal Code pertaining to the collecting of men, arms or ammunition with the intention of waging war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, a Ruler or Yang Dipertua Negri, he said.

“They (the activists) had made much preparation, such as distributing leaflets and wearing T-shirts propagating the ideology with the aim of inciting the people to hate the Ggovernment,” he told reporters after attending the third “Ops Lusuh” meeting with Celcom Axiata Berhad to identify measures to beat vandalism.

Mohd Bakri said the police would take stern action to stop any act which violated the law.

“The act by the activists can spark chaos in the country. We will strive to resolve the case quickly,” he said.

Written by Malaysia Chronicle
The Star

Tuesday, 28 June 2011 18:47

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