Aliran calls upon the authorities, in particular the police, to stop its violent assault of our fundamental rights. Though enshrined in our Federal Constitution, these rights - to peacefully assemble, to travel freely, to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, to due process when arrested, etc - have not been respected whatsoever. Instead the authorities have resorted to high-handed and bullying tactics.

A proposed peaceful assembly on 15 April 2000 to demonstrate solidarity and sympathy for former deputy Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, was first denied a police permit.

The PM and the authorities alleged that the demonstrators were planning to riot and incite violence. Yet not an iota of evidence has been provided to substantiate the allegation.

Instead, a number of leaders and activists from Parti Keadilan Nasional (keADILan) were arrested on 14 April. Roadblocks were set up all over the country and police personnel were seen in train stations querying people travelling to the Federal Capital.

Meanwhile, thousands of police personnel were mobilised. They flooded the streets of KL and transformed it into a police state.

Not surprisingly, only a small crowd of several hundreds gathered to demonstrate on 15 April. They clearly posed no threat to anybody. Yet the police unleashed their wrath upon them. Tear gas and water cannons were fired. The demonstrators were chased and 48 people, including two women and a minor were detained. They were remanded in 10 different police stations. All were further remanded at the KL Magistrate Court on 17 April.

Apart from these 48, Mohd Ezam, Gobala Krishnan, Abdul Malek Hussein and Tian Chua have also been remanded for 5 days on grounds of suspicion that they were "provoking the public to be involved in an illegal assembly". Two other KeADILan leaders - Muhammad Zahid and Sanusi Abdullah sought by the police have since surrendered and are expected to be remanded as well.

It is deplorable that the Magistrate Lailacul Junaidah who sat in the remand hearings refused to send those injured to the hospital for treatment. Some have claimed that they were assaulted.

It is equally despicable that Cheah Kah Peng, the lawyer who accompanied Tian Chua to the Police Station, and who insisted upon due process, was himself arrested. In fact he was stripped and put into an overcrowded cell. Subsequently released, he has been placed under police bail and is to report back on 16 May to find out if he will be charged for obstruction of public officers from discharging their duties.

Aliran calls upon the police to release all those detained immediately and unconditionally. They were merely protesting and expressing their rights. They threatened nobody and caused no riot.

Aliran further calls upon the police to stop their high-handed ways and desist from further violations of our Federal Constitution. It seems as though they have learnt no lesson from the sentencing of Rahim Noor, the former IGP, for assaulting Anwar Ibrahim, the former Deputy PM. This is why Aliran and other groups had insisted on a more severe punishment for Rahim Noor's crime which has far-reaching consequences on how the Police ought and ought not to behave.

Finally, Aliran holds the PM, Dr Mahathir responsible for violations of our rights and for not honouring the spirit and letter of our Federal Constitution. He is also responsible for the shameful transformation of KL into a police state. Indeed it was he who alleged that the demonstrators were threatening a riot and unleashed the police and its high-handed ways upon the leaders and supporters of keADILan.

Dr. Francis Loh
Secretary
18 April 2000