Malaysians Say The Darndest Things!

HINDRAF Rally Thwarted By Police Violence

November 25, 2007

For the second time in 2 weeks, police have demonstrated violence by tear gassing and shooting their water cannons at protesters during the HINDRAF rally. Just look at some of the pics below.

Pic byReuters - Protestors being shot by water cannon

Pic by Reuters - Protestors throwing back tear gas canisters

Pic by Al-Jazeera - Protestor Arrested

The violent crackdown has prevented the crowd from reaching the British High Commission where a petition was to be handed over.

From the Associated Press

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian police fired tear gas and water cannons Sunday to disperse thousands of ethnic Indians who tried to stage a rally that had been banned amid government fears it would stir racial hatred.
Associated Press reporters saw demonstrators being beaten and dragged into trucks by police, who doused them repeatedly with tear gas and chemical-laced water.

Shoes, slippers and broken flower pots littered the scene outside Kuala Lumpur’s famous Petronas Twin Towers after protesters scattered to hide in hotels and shops. Organizers said hundreds of people were detained.

The rally — an attempt by ethnic Indians to highlight complaints that they are economically marginalized by the ethnic Malay Muslim-dominated government — was the second such street protest in Kuala Lumpur this month.

A Nov. 10 rally that drew thousands of people demanding electoral reforms was also broken up with similar use of force.

Click here to read more of this article.

Once again, the police have cracked down on plans for a peaceful assembly. As Lim Kit Siang puts it, the streets belong to the people. Doesn’t this crackdown violate the constitution of the country where people have the right to assemble peacefully?
I believe this crackdown will be have a significant effect on the country and the next elections.

The people now know that the government does not provide them any avenue to let their grouses and views be heard. When people are pushed against the wall and finally take to the streets, police violence is used against them.
MCA and MIC always talk about how effective it is to use the ‘inside channels’ of the government, but I really doubt how effective it is. Rather, it seems like MCA and MIC leaders would rather depend on the collective forgetfulness of Malaysians and let issues blow by silently.
But we will not forget 10/11 and 25/11.
Who will be the losers in the end?

Some other links:
(Bolehland) Continuous Pictures and Updates (might be down due to DDOS attacks) Mirror site here if the previous link is down.
(Malaysiakini - Subscription needed) 10,000 Hindraf Protestors Rally in KLCC
(Malaysiakini - Subscription needed) Tear Gas Fired at Defiant Protestors

I’m now waiting for the al-Jazeera video on YouTube, with MIC’s lame response to the rally.

Update 25th November 2007 3.11pm
The al-Jazeera video and the MIC man can be viewed here.

You should also read Nat’s encounter with tear gas. It pretty much sums up my first experience with tear gas and water cannons the last time around.
Hindraf Rally Report

You Might Find These Interesting

• US to Malaysian Government: Allow Peaceful Assembly
• No Tear Gas And Water Cannon Used At Batu Caves Temple
• Bersih Gathering: Masjid Jamek Police Violence
• Using Tear Gas On Innocent People Is Not Violence
• Police Violence: If The French Can Do It, Why Can’t We?

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