MUAR: The Government is prepa-red to provide suitable venues including stadiums for people to gather and air their grievances or opinions without having to resort to demonstrating on the streets, said Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak. The Prime Minister said people should not take part in street protests as it would only inconvenience others. “We can provide them stadiums where they can shout themselves hoarse till dawn, but don’t cause disturbance on the streets,” said Najib in commenting on the illegal assemblies in several areas in the federal capital on Saturday. He said there were stadiums in Opposition states like Selangor that could be used for such gatherings, adding that it was unnecessary to inconvenience other road users. Najib also defended police actions, saying that they were done in the interest of public order and safety. Asked if more Opposition leaders would be arrested in connection with the demonstrations, Najib said it would be up to the police to decide based on the findings of their investigations. Speaking to reporters after opening the Pagoh Umno delegates meeting here yesterday, Najib said the police have a duty to preserve safety and order and could take action against those responsible for disrupting the peace. “It is up to the authorities. Street demonstrations should not continue,” he said. Najib added that the Opposition were trying to portray the Govern-ment as cruel. On a statement by Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during a gathering in Muar two days ago that the Opposition would start attacking Umno’s bastion in Johor, Najib dismissed it as wishful thinking. He expressed confidence that the state leadership would be able to quash any such attempt.Monday August 3, 2009
Najib: Govt willing to provide venues for people to vent anger
By NELSON BENJAMIN and HAMDAN RAJA ABDULLAH
Monday, August 3, 2009
Najib: Govt willing to provide venues for people to vent anger - Taken from TheSTAR online
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Protesters Arrested - KL - Taken from the NST Website
KUALA LUMPUR - POLICE arrested dozens of Malaysians who tried to take part in a street protest Saturday against a law allowing detention without trial, opposition activists said. Opposition parties were expecting thousands of demonstrators to march through Kuala Lumpur in what they hoped would be the biggest protest ever aimed at pressuring Malaysia's government to scrap the Internal Security Act, which provides for indefinite imprisonment without trial of people regarded as security threats. Government authorities warned they would not allow the protest, saying it could undermine public peace. Police began arresting people outside the city's main mosque three hours before the planned demonstration, said Salahuddin Ayub, vice-president of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party. The party's news website and other Malaysian media said at least 51 have been detained in various locations, mainly people wearing opposition T-shirts and headbands. Police set up roadblocks across Kuala Lumpur to prevent demonstrators from reaching the city center, sparking massive traffic crawls. Riot police backed by trucks mounted with water cannons fanned out at train stations and shopping malls where the demonstrators intended to gather. The protesters planned to march to the national palace to submit a petition to Malaysia's king, the constitutional monarch, to denounce the Internal Security Act. Human rights groups estimate at least 17 people are being held under the act, mainly for alleged links to militants and document forgery. Human rights activists have long decried the decades-old act, instituted during the British colonial era, saying it is sometimes used to jail government critics and dampen dissent. Prime Minister Najib Razak on Friday urged people not to join the protest. Mr Najib has promised to consider amending the act, though government officials have repeatedly said it is necessary to safeguard national security. -- AP
Thursday, July 30, 2009
More on Teoh's Case - Taken from thesundaily.com
PETALING JAYA (July 30, 2009): Kajang Municipal Councillor Tan Boon Hwa who failed to provide his DNA sample for the Teoh Beng Hock's inquest on Wednesday, will do so within two days, said his lawyer Gobind Singh Deo, who is also acting for Teoh's family. In a press conference today at the DAP headquarters, Gobind reiterated that witnesses Tan and Lee Wye Wing are willing do give full cooperation to the authorities in uncovering the truth behind Teoh's death. He clarified that Tan had to attend the inquest on Wednesday when he was summoned by the police to provide his DNA sample in the morning. He said once he can reach the investigating officer who summoned Tan for the sample, he will bring Tan to the police station for his DNA sample to be collected. As for Lee, an employee of the company that supplied flags to a state government project, Gobind said he is currently overseas and once he returns, he will get him to give his DNA sample. At the Teoh death inquest on Wednesday, government-appointed lawyer Tan Hock Chuan had told the coroner's court that two people, who he did not name, had refused to give their DNA sample to help police find a match for the DNA trace of an unknown male found on Teoh's body. (More later)Boon Hwa to provide his DNA sample in 2 days: Gobind
Updated: 02:50PM Thu, 30 Jul 2009
