A mother who brought her children to the 'Bloody Sunday' protest related further police brutality at the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) public inquiry today.

Finance executive Nashita Md Noor ( right ) described to the Suhakam panel comprising commissioners KC Vohrah, Choo Siew Kioh, Dr Michael Yeoh and Zaitoon Othman her experience with the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) on May 28.

"A group of FRU came while we were dispersing. They came pushing towards us yelling balik lah (go back) repeatedly in a very menacing tone," she re-enacted.

"My children were very frightened because they were dressed in their helmet and riot gear," she said.

She then told the panel she got angry because she felt the FRU were treating the crowd like animals.

"I yelled at them to stop shouting, we're not animals but they kept on pushing the crowd to the road," he said.

Nashita said her five-year-old daughter Asiah pleaded for her to go back but she told her daughter not to be afraid because they were not doing anything wrong.

Could only yell

Shortly after, she said the scuffle between Zahir Hassan (Nashita's neighbour and also a witness) with the FRU then took place.

"I saw Zahir running to his daughter's aid as they were bring pushed to the middle of Jalan Ampang by the FRU with their shields."

"He was pushed to the ground and the FRU were hitting and kicking him. The traffic stopped because he was lying on the road motionless with blood on his face," she pictured for the panel.

She said Zahir's family and some members of the crowd could only yell at the FRU to stop because it was the "only thing we could do against the armed riot police".

Nashita also told the panel how she braved the water cannons as she has been to previous demonstrations.

"We decided not to run when the water cannons were fired. We weren't doing anything wrong, why must we run?"

"I huddled with my children and with Zahir's daughters just in case the water was laced with chemicals."

She then added that after finding out that the water was not laced, she had told the crowd to not run away from the 'harmless' water.

Continues tomorrow

Also testifying today were Zahir, student Ooi Tze Min and tuition teacher Lim Ban Teng.

Observers present at the inquiry were R Ragunanthanan and Chen Hong Lynn for the Bar Council, Supt Rusli Ahmad for the Inspector General of Police Secretariat and Zuraida Rastam for the Attorney General's Chambers.

The public inquiry which started last week will determine whether any human rights violations occurred and if so:

  • which person or agency was responsible for the violations;

  • how such violations came about;

  • what administrative directives and procedures or arrangements contributed to them; and

  • what measures should be recommended to be taken to ensure that such violence does not recur.

    • This is the fifth public inquiry held by the human rights watchdog since its formation in 1999.

    Previous inquiries were on the Kesas Highway incident (2001); conditions faced by Internal Security Act detainees (2002); alleged mistreatment of native villagers in Sabah by the police (2004); and the death of S Hendry while in police custody (2006).

    The public inquiry continues tomorrow.

    'Bloody Sunday' photo gallery