Police to probe DAP HQ arson attack
The police will set up a task force to probe the suspected arson incident at the Penang DAP headquarters yesterday, said state Police chief officer Ayub Yaacob today.
The police will set up a task force to probe the suspected arson incident at the Penang DAP headquarters yesterday, said state Police chief officer Ayub Yaacob today.
Ayub said the police view the matter seriously and would step up security measures within the area like fixing close circuit TVs to prevent such occurrences.
He said Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein himself has expressed his concern over the incident which occured about 3am yesterday by calling him personally to discuss the matter.
"The minister himself has called me and asked the police to give its personal attention to the matter, including other incidents which may be linked to this," he said, at a press conference with Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng at the DAP premises in Jalan Talipon today.
Ayub (left) said the police have launched a serious investigation into the incident and hope to nab the culprit soon.
He warned of stern action against anyone who had attempted the arson attack on the party's office.
"We are very serious about this. This is not a game or something just for fun. We all want peace, nobody wants a situation like this, no matter what their intentions are " he added, in a room packed with reporters.
Police determined to get culprit
"The matter would be worse if it is coordinated. We will use all the strength of the police force to get the culprit who did this," he added.
Ayub made the remarks while visiting the DAP offfice, where a stack of newspapers placed outside the building, was set on fire yesterday.
On Sunday, the same headquarters and Komtar assemblyperson Ng Wei Aik's service centre on Lorong Seratus Tahun were found splashed with paint.
Lim had blamed the incident on blacklash to the recent controversy over the Penang Fatwa Council ban on the use of loudspeakers for the recital of Quranic verses at dawn.
Umno, however, had accused 'party insiders' of trying to set fire to the DAP headquarters, saying it was to divert attention from the loudspeaker ban.
‘Not politically motivated'
Georgetown district police chief ACP Gan Kon Meng had said the case was being investigated under Section 435 of the Penal Code and did not rule out the possibility that the incident was caused by the same suspect in another incident on weekend.
Meanwhile, Ayub reiterated that the incident was uncalled for, and no one would have wanted it to happen - whether the Opposition or the ruling party.
He warned against the people becoming violent like incidents in other countries.
He said differences of opinions existed among various parties and this was acceptable and normal.
He dismissed the matter as being politically motivated as the home minister was very serious about the police resolving the issue.
He urged the public to come forward to share whatever information they have on the incident, assuring whistleblowers that they would be protected.
"This is a mischievous act which we view seriously, we do not want it to become a trend," he told reporters.
"We hope people would come and share whatever information they have; it may not necessarily be what they see (witnessed) but what they hear as well which could lead us to the suspects," he added.
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