Two nights in a police lock-up

first person When assigned to cover a planned street demonstration by the Coalition Against Inflation (Protes) in Kuala Lumpur last Saturday, I least expected that I would end up making some news myself.

At 2.30pm, before the protest against price-hikes could begin, the police began detaining those suspected to be members of the group as they waited outside the Petronas Twin Towers.

Wanting to get comments from the police on the reasons for the arrests, I approached Chief Inspector Effendi Abdul Rahman, who was observing his men in action and identified myself as a malaysiakini journalist.

When he declined comment, I reiterated the question. He did not reply, but grabbed my arm and took me to two officers nearby and ordered them to take me to the police truck. I immediately asked the police personnel why I was being detained, but they did not respond.

Other reporters, including colleague Fauwaz Abdul Aziz, noticed my predicament and started to take photographs, asking me why I was being detained.

I was ordered into the police truck and later, along with seven others, was taken to the city police headquarters in Jalan Hang Tuah around 3pm.

We were taken to the canteen, which had already been readied for recording of statements. Until 6pm, other detainees arrived in batches, receiving applause from those already there. Everyone was in high spirits.

Prominent faces in the crowd were PKR information chief Tian Chua (photo), lawyer Jonson Chong, protest organiser and PAS treasurer Dr Mohd Hatta Romli, and PSM pro-tem secretary-general S Arutchelvan.

Most of the detainees were surprised at my detention, as they knew I was at the event only to cover it.

We were made to wait until 9pm before the process of recording statements started. About this time, seven people were released, apparently on technical grounds.

Fierce arguments broke out occasionally when other detainees - who felt that there was no justification for their detention - refused to cooperate with the police. They seemed very aware of their legal rights and demanded details of procedures, as well as reacted to what they saw to be aggressive conduct by police personnel.

Chong and Chua - no strangers to being detained - alerted fellow-detainees that the police would do their best to trick them into giving statements under Section 112 (cautioned statement) of the Criminal Procedure Code which could be tendered in court and used against them.

The detainees then refused to give any statement, telling the police that they would only speak if charged in court. When asked to sign a statement stating their refusal for the record, they added the words dengan bantahan (under protest) to signatures as a precautionary measure.

Just about every detainee lodged a police report against the police that night, to protest their detention. I lodged two police reports at the police headquarters in relation to my detention, pointing out that I was on duty at the site of the planned protest.

At about 2.30am, the officer-in-charge whom I could only identify as ACP Anand, announced that all detainees were to be remanded and sent to the Kuala Lumpur Remand Centre (fomerly Pudu Jail) in Jalan Hang Tuah for the night.

As we were being taken to a truck, I was punched on the head by a police personnel while another pulled my hair. I lodged a report on this at the remand centre on arrival.

Detainees were asked to leave their personal belongings with the police. All the men were each given the official 'KL lock-up’ orange T-shirt, while women detainees were allowed to remain in whatever they were wearing.

We were divided into groups of three and sent to the cells, each about two metres long and 1.8 metres wide. There was a raised cement platform on one side to serve as a bed.

Blankets and basic toiletries like soap, toothpaste or toothbrushes were not supplied until some detainees vociferously demanded these. I spent most of the night awake, chatting with my cell-mates who are young social activists.

On Sunday afternoon, the police brought in Magistrate Norazlin Othman for a remand extension hearing at the police station, claiming they had not completed their investigations.

Lawyers were initially denied entry to the Hang Tuah police station to see the detainees, according to human rights lawyer Amer Hamzah (photo) who now represents me.

Only 10 detainees were freed that night, much to the dismay of the lawyers present who felt that the extension was "premeditated", especially after detainees told them about the absence of any investigation up to then.

Yesterday, we were taken to the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex in Jalan Duta to be charged.

I was charged under Section 189 of the Penal Code, for allegedly obstructing a police officer from performing his duty. After I claimed trial, bail was set at RM1,000.

Others were charged under Section 141 of the Penal Code for allegedly participating in an illegal assembly. All claimed trial and bail was set at a similar amount.

The hearing will be held from June 16-18.

My family still does not know about my detention, but colleagues and friends have rallied around with support and loads of questions.

If I had to sum up my feelings about being detained for two nights, I have to say I was pissed off - I missed the ‘live’ telecast of the match between my team AC Milan and Genoa!