'Kepala Batas residents' heckle PSM supporters

About 40 Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) supporters who were camping outside the Kepala Batas police station last night were heckled by a group of protestors who described themselves as "residents from nearby villages".

The party's supporters included families of those remanded for seven days for investigations into the allegation that they had waged war against the Agong. The had waited since 11.30am but were denied visitation rights by the police.

They are to be held up to Saturday but their lawyers will be seeking a revision of the remand order at the Penang High Court at 2.30pm today.

The 100-strong ‘residents’ who appeared about 9pm demanded that the PSM supporters vacate the area immediately as they did not want "chaos".

It is learnt that the group, which denied belonging to any political party or group, had refused to identify their leader.

They also told reporters that they had never experienced such a gathering of activists in the area before.

The group came in cars and on motorcycles, but were dispersed by about 50 Light Strike Force personnel 30 minutes later.

When the situation turned a bit tense, PSM secretary-genaral S Arutchelvan (left) and central committee member V Selvam had tried to seek police protection.

However, they were told that the protestors would not leave until the activists left the scene.

Met later, Selvam blamed the police for "forcing" the PSM group to gather illegally.

"They did not allow us into the station and asked us to wait on the road outside," he told Malaysiakini.

"There is a big parking lot outside the police station but they did not even let us wait there, so we were forced to gather on the roadside."

 Arutchelvan said the protestors had tried to provoke the party's supporters into a fight, claiming that the organisers behind the protestors had probably wanted to see a fight break out.

"We did not want to divert the issue, that is why we retreated," he said.

He intends to raise the matter, including police inaction, when he and his team meet Penang police chief Ayub Yaakon at 11am today.

The families of the detainees were later escorted by several PAS members to villages nearby "to keep them from harm and to allow them to rest for the night".

PAS to provide assistance

A PAS member from Kepala Batas, Abu Muaz, said he recognised the protestors to be Umno members as they live in the same area.

He said he went to observe the scene while the group was dispersing and found some of the protestors still loitering around the area about 10pm. They appeared to be "on standby".

"I bet they were provoked into coming here and were probably told a tall tale by certain quarters (considering) that they could gather at such a short notice," he said.

PAS Kepala Batas chief Rosdi Hussain (left), when met, said party members are prepared to set up canopies for the PSM supporters who were planning to camp overnight outside the police station.

There are 21 detainees at the Kepala Batas police lock-up, with seven in Penang and two in Sungai Dua.

"We want to convey our moral support for the detainees’ families. We are disappointed that they were unable to meet with their loved ones in the lock-up," said Rosdi.

"We condemn the action of the protestors against the detainees’ supporters and families. It seems they acted on provocation by certain parties.”

Rosdi, a lawyer, said the police should have acted against the protestors when they started heckling the PSM group.

He added it was unacceptable that the police had allowed the situation to become tense without dealing with the protestors.


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