Studio owner: Event was drug free
Andrew OngPublished: Jan 5, 2006 12:11 PM | Updated: Jan 29, 2008 6:21 PM
The owner of a private music studio raided on New Year's eve maintained that a controversial even held at the premises was free of booze and drugs.
Patrons are not even allowed to smoke cigarettes let alone use drugs during performances, reveals Paul Millot.
The owner of a private music studio raided on New Year's eve maintained that a controversial even held at the premises was free of booze and drugs.
"We don't even let people smoke cigarettes, let alone take drugs during shows," said Paul Millot when met near his studio Paul's Place at Jalan Klang Lama, Kuala Lumpur, yesterday.
Millot, who was not in the studio during the raid, said he was later told by some of the patrons who were detained that they did not know of anyone using drugs that nights.
During the 10.45pm raid on the purported 'Black Metal' concert, 365 people were arrested and taken to the Brickfields police headquarters for urine tests.
Millot, 51, believes that two-thirds of those detained had nothing to do with the event as his studio cannot cater for more than 100 people.
He said many of those detained were from a common parking lot (left) and food stalls near Paul's Place used by revelers patronising the nearby discotheques.
He claimed that a stall owner was also picked up in the raid.
No proof
Asked if any of the seven detainees, whom the police claimed had tested positive for drug use, were from his premises, Millot said he could not be certain as their names were not released.
"The crucial point is that the police found no proof from Paul's Place that anyone was taking drugs [...] doesn't that indicate that those tested positive for drugs weren't from Paul's Place?" he said.
Scientist by day and blues drummer by night, Millot rents the third floor of a shoplot (pix) meant for private jamming sessions with his friends. The space is sometimes let out to others for small private performances.
Millot explained that such events were considered private as those attending were part of a close knit community of independent musicians.
On allegations that alcohol was being sold during the New Year's eve event, he said the beers were not meant for sale.
"The three crates of beer uncovered by the police were under a table. Thus, we were accused by police of selling alcohol to a mainly Muslim crowd. But wouldn't beers be normally chilled before being served?" he quipped.
He said the crates were kept under a table for storage but these were confiscated by the police.
Musical equipment, including Millot's prized drum-kit, were also seized.
He urged those who have had their equipment or personal affects confiscated to contact him via his email for help in getting them back.
Lawyers cry foul
In a related development, lawyer Amer Hamzah Arshad questioned why the police allowed the media to interview those detained but denied lawyers access.
He criticised the police's decision to allow six detainees to be presented at a press conference after the raid to field questions from Brickfields police chief Mohd Dzuraidi Ibrahim and journalists.
(The interview was aired on TV3's Buletin Utama on Jan 1 while a portion of it also appeared in the Malay tabloid Harian Metro the next day).
"It does not make sense. What special privileges does the media have that lawyers don't?" asked Amer, who will represent Millot and several others in a suit against the police for unlawful detention and trespass, when contacted today.
Meanwhile, another lawyer N Surendran urged Dzuraidi (left) to resign for violating Article 5 (3) of the Federal Constitution that guarantees detainees rights to legal counsel.
"The police are guardians of the Federal Constitution but he has shown no respect for the constitutional provisions when he denied my client access to counsel," he said.
Yesterday, Dzuraidi said the police were unable to fulfil Surendran's request to meet his client because they were in the process of documenting the detainees.
However this failed to convince the lawyer.
"If that is so, how did they manage to find time to parade the six detainees in front of the press?" he asked.
He added that since 358 detainees tested negative for drugs, the police had no reasonable suspicion for the 'mass arrest'.
Surendran will also be filing another suit on behalf of some of the detainees against the police for unlawful detention and other unspecified offences.
"We don't even let people smoke cigarettes, let alone take drugs during shows," said Paul Millot when met near his studio Paul's Place at Jalan Klang Lama, Kuala Lumpur, yesterday. Millot, who was not in the studio during the raid, said he was later told by some of the patrons who were detained that they did not know of anyone using drugs that nights.
During the 10.45pm raid on the purported 'Black Metal' concert, 365 people were arrested and taken to the Brickfields police headquarters for urine tests.
Millot, 51, believes that two-thirds of those detained had nothing to do with the event as his studio cannot cater for more than 100 people.
He said many of those detained were from a common parking lot (left) and food stalls near Paul's Place used by revelers patronising the nearby discotheques. He claimed that a stall owner was also picked up in the raid.
No proof
Asked if any of the seven detainees, whom the police claimed had tested positive for drug use, were from his premises, Millot said he could not be certain as their names were not released.
"The crucial point is that the police found no proof from Paul's Place that anyone was taking drugs [...] doesn't that indicate that those tested positive for drugs weren't from Paul's Place?" he said. Scientist by day and blues drummer by night, Millot rents the third floor of a shoplot (pix) meant for private jamming sessions with his friends. The space is sometimes let out to others for small private performances.
Millot explained that such events were considered private as those attending were part of a close knit community of independent musicians.
On allegations that alcohol was being sold during the New Year's eve event, he said the beers were not meant for sale.
"The three crates of beer uncovered by the police were under a table. Thus, we were accused by police of selling alcohol to a mainly Muslim crowd. But wouldn't beers be normally chilled before being served?" he quipped.
He said the crates were kept under a table for storage but these were confiscated by the police.
Musical equipment, including Millot's prized drum-kit, were also seized.
He urged those who have had their equipment or personal affects confiscated to contact him via his email for help in getting them back.
Lawyers cry foul
In a related development, lawyer Amer Hamzah Arshad questioned why the police allowed the media to interview those detained but denied lawyers access.
He criticised the police's decision to allow six detainees to be presented at a press conference after the raid to field questions from Brickfields police chief Mohd Dzuraidi Ibrahim and journalists.
(The interview was aired on TV3's Buletin Utama on Jan 1 while a portion of it also appeared in the Malay tabloid Harian Metro the next day).
"It does not make sense. What special privileges does the media have that lawyers don't?" asked Amer, who will represent Millot and several others in a suit against the police for unlawful detention and trespass, when contacted today.
Meanwhile, another lawyer N Surendran urged Dzuraidi (left) to resign for violating Article 5 (3) of the Federal Constitution that guarantees detainees rights to legal counsel. "The police are guardians of the Federal Constitution but he has shown no respect for the constitutional provisions when he denied my client access to counsel," he said.
Yesterday, Dzuraidi said the police were unable to fulfil Surendran's request to meet his client because they were in the process of documenting the detainees.
However this failed to convince the lawyer.
"If that is so, how did they manage to find time to parade the six detainees in front of the press?" he asked.
He added that since 358 detainees tested negative for drugs, the police had no reasonable suspicion for the 'mass arrest'.
Surendran will also be filing another suit on behalf of some of the detainees against the police for unlawful detention and other unspecified offences.
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