It is a sad day...

Boy! What a day!

It has been a busy Sunday. I have been working from home from early morning to upload stories on the nationwide arrests of people who participated in so-called illegal assemblies.

The lawyers, activists and then opposition leaders and finally Bersih supporters, one-by-one were taken in and all are now expected to be charged tomorrow.

I heard the AG himself would be prosecuting. Must be rather important these fellows. Otherwise why should the AG himself come down from Putrajaya to persecute (sorry, should be prosecute) them?

Anyway, I think this AP news gives a good round up of what happened today. As said by the Bar Council chairperson Ambiga, it is indeed a sad day!

Malaysian police detain 21 people for illegal rallies

By EILEEN NG,Associated Press Writer AP - 35 minutes ago

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Malaysian police detained 21 opposition members, lawyers and activists Sunday, including nine people who joined a banned human rights march, officials said, in a widening crackdown following a series of anti-government protests.

Twelve members of an opposition coalition were among those rounded up in nationwide raids for taking part in a banned rally on Nov. 10 demanding electoral reforms, coalition spokesman Syed Azman Syed Ahmad told The Associated Press. The coalition plans to hold a second demonstration on Tuesday outside Parliament.

The arrests are part of a growing crackdown on disgruntled Malaysians who have held a slew of anti-government protests and demonstrations, jolting the administration of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi ahead of elections expected soon.

The Nov. 10 rally _ which drew some 30,000 people _ was followed by an equally large street protest by minority ethnic Indians on Nov. 25 to complain of racial discrimination and economic deprivation from government policies.

Earlier Sunday, eight people, including four lawyers, were detained for taking part in a march for human rights by about 40 people in downtown Kuala Lumpur, defying a ban on assembly and an order to disperse, local police chief Che Hamzah Che Ismail said.

Bar Council President Ambiga Sreenevasan told reporters another lawyer was detained later after he tried to stop police from tearing down banners marking International Human Rights Day.

"I am in a state of utter disbelief at the heavy-handedness of the police ... these tactics are bullying tactics," Sreenevasan said. "This is a sad day for human rights in Malaysia."

Prime Minister Abdullah defended the arrests.

"They ignored the law and still wanted to protest ... of course police have to take action. This (protest) is not our culture," Abdullah was quoted as saying by national news agency Bernama.

Among those arrested for the Nov. 10 rally were Tian Chua, a senior official of the opposition People's Justice Party, and 10 members of the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party. The two parties are the main groups in the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections, known by its Malay acronym Bersih, which organized the rally.

Despite the arrests, Bersih will go ahead with its second demonstration on Tuesday outside Parliament to hand over a memorandum to the speaker to demand free and fair elections, Syed Azman said.

He said the 12 are likely to be formally charged in court on Monday. Also Monday, ethnic Indian leader P. Uthayakumar, who organized the Nov. 25 rally, will appear in court where prosecutors will seek permission to charge him with sedition.

The government has also charged 31 Indians with attempted murder after a policeman was injured during the rally.

Sunday's arrests came amid complaints by Uthayakumar that the charges were racially motivated because police did not arrest anyone from the Nov. 10 rally, which was mostly participated by Malays.

Syed Azman said by arresting Bersih activists, the government "is trying to balance it out so that it won't look racially biased."

"The heat is on the government because of the (Indian) issue. The government is under tremendous pressure because the whole world is watching now, so they are trying to divert attention," he said.

(source)