Malaysians Say The Darndest Things!

PDRM’s Role in Olympic Torch Relay Run Kuala Lumpur

April 21, 2008

The Olympic Torch run for the Beijing Olympics made a stop at Kuala Lumpur today, amid tensions surrounding pro-Tibet and pro-China activists throughout the globe.

The Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) had mobilized a 1000 strong police force to ensure that there will be no ugly incidents involving both sets of activists, and I believe that was the right thing to do. It is my personal belief that the torch run be allowed to proceed without physical interference from the crowd, and it is also my belief that if there were any protests, it should be allowed as long as there are no physical altercations between sets of protesters.

However, I would expect that the PDRM will protect anyone from physical abuse and threats, and those who are violent should be kept in check. It sickens me to read that the PDRM had detained some pro-Tibet protesters, while letting some Chinese supporters who attacked them with inflatable batons be let off scot-free.

Malaysia Detains Five, Avoids Olympic Torch Disorder

By Ranjeetha Pakiam and Chan Tien Hin

April 21 (Bloomberg) — Malaysian police detained five people at the Beijing Olympic Games torch relay through Kuala Lumpur as authorities avoided a repeat of disruptions during the European and U.S. stages.

Police held a Japanese couple and their 5-year-old son for waving a Tibetan flag, a monk and a 35-year-old British woman, Muhammad Sabtu Othman, the city’s police chief, said in an interview. None was arrested. Officials pushed aside another man who ran toward the torch shouting, “shame.” The words “Beijing Torching Human Rights” were written on his T-shirt.

Protestors in London, Paris and San Francisco disrupted the relay to draw attention to the Chinese government’s human rights record. China blames supporters of the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader, for organizing the most serious unrest in 20 years in Tibet’s capital, Lhasa, last month.

Police Assistant Commissioner K. Kumaran, Kuala Lumpur’s internal security and public order chief, earlier pledged “stern action against anyone who creates public disorder.” About 1,000 armed police officers were deployed for the event.

About 2,000 people gathered at the start of the relay in Malaysia, where a quarter of the Asian nation’s 25 million population is ethnic Chinese. They included about 500 Chinese supporters who sang the national anthem and chanted that the Olympic Games should be kept free of politics.

Plastic Batons

Police took away the Japanese family after Chinese supporters hit them with inflatable plastic batons, Agence France-Presse reported. They shouted out that Taiwan and Tibet belong to China, AFP said.

The crowd along the 16.5-kilometer (10.3-mile) run swelled to about 5,000 before torchbearers reached their final destination at the Petronas Twin Towers, the world’s second- tallest building. Trucks of police were on standby at the towers.

Also, read about the personal experience of a pro-Tibet protester, Hafiz, who was harassed and pushed around by China supporters.

This post is not about supporting Tibet, or supporting China. This post is about the PDRM not doing its job of protecting the people from violence, regardless of your political inclination.

Share your thoughts on what the PDRM should have done.

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