Keadilan Youth executive member Johari Yassin identified four BN workers who assaulted him on Sunday in a line-up at the Kangar police station this morning.

Johari, however, has yet to identify two policemen said to have been present during the assault. The two were alleged to have told Johari that he could have been shot for leaving the scene of the melee and for driving through a crowd of people.

"We had driven away on the understanding that everyone was to proceed to the police station to settle the issue and to avoid further injuries to myself and my friends," said Johari, who is also the Keadilan Shah Alam Youth chief.

Johari told malaysiakini today that the incident took place at about 4 am Sunday just after the Keadilan members had put up some by-election posters.

He said that he and his friends confronted a gang of four people seen tearing up the posters, and asked them to go to the police station to lodge a report.

Reluctant to intervene

"Two uniformed police officers patrolling the area arrived five minutes later but when I informed them of the situation, they appeared reluctant to intervene," said Johari who refused the policemen's request to go to the police station without the four vandals.

According to Johari, about 100 Barisan Nasional supporters then appeared within a short time and tension began to mount.

"Some started to punch and hit me while others started to kick my car," said Johari who estimated that he was hit some 50 to 60 times by several people.

Johari said he and four other Keadilan workers managed to get back into his car and drive away from the scene as the mob of angry BN supporters tried to stop them.

"There were a lot of people in front of the car but they were forced to move aside as I drove on," said Johari.

He said he planned on driving to the police station but the BN supporters who followed him forced him into a dead-end road.

"I told my friends to run but I could not join them as my glasses were smashed and I could not see clearly in the night," said Johari, adding that he was then dragged into a house where he was bashed up for another 15 minutes.

"I was hit on the head and neck. Some were even hitting me with a stick," he said.

Johari said that he was later brought to an Umno operations centre where the beating continued.

The ordeal only came to an end when Special Branch police arrived to take him away to the police station, Johari said.

Injuries

While he described his injuries as 'minor', one other Keadilan supporter injured his hand while trying to escape. Johari's car was also badly damaged and the front windscreen smashed.

Johari said that the posters torn up depicted Umno deputy youth chief Abdul Aziz Sheikh Fadzir who led an illegal demonstration at the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall in Kuala Lumpur last August to protest against the Malaysian Chinese Organisation Elections Appeals Committee (Suqiu).

He explained that the posters were intended to remind voters that at least one leader within the ruling Malay party had threatened to 'burn down the Chinese Assembly Hall' in Kuala Lumpur and start racial riots in the country.

Yesterday, police detained eight men, believed to be BN supporters, for allegedly assaulting the Keadilan supporters in Kangar.

Following the incident, Perlis Mentri Besar Shahidan Kassim accused Keadilan supporters of causing the skirmish.

He conceded that BN workers were tearing down posters which contained 'offensive words' and did not carry the logo of any particular party.

Counter reports

Shahidan added that a BN supporter and a police officer had lodged reports providing a different version of the events.

Since nomination day began on Thursday, Keadilan have reported a series of violent incidents inflicted by BN supporters.

Party supreme council member Dr Xavier Jeyakumar's car which was parked in front of the Federal Hotel in Kangar was stoned last Friday.

Keadilan's deputy campaign director Ng Lum Yong said he believed all these incidents were "planned and motivated" to pressure the party into withdrawing from the by-election.

Keadilan will meet BN in a straight fight this Saturday, after a nine-day campaign period which started on nomination day last week.

The battle is said to be tough for both candidates retired Chinese school headmistress Oui Ah Lan, 58, who is the MCA candidate, and former school teacher Khoo Yang Chong, 60, contesting for Keadilan.

The Indera Kayangan seat fell vacant following the death of BN state assembly representative Khor Liang Tee last month.