Apcet II hearing resumes on Monday
The hearing for the RM83 million ‘Apcet II’ suit filed by a group of local activists and journalists against the government will resume in the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Monday.
According to Abdul Rashid Ismail, one of the lawyers for the 36 plaintiffs, the court has fixed Nov 3 to 6 and Nov 10 to 13 for hearing.
The hearing for the RM83 million ‘Apcet II’ suit filed by a group of local activists and journalists against the government will resume in the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Monday.
According to Abdul Rashid Ismail, one of the lawyers for the 36 plaintiffs, the court has fixed Nov 3 to 6 and Nov 10 to 13 for hearing.
"Subang MP R Sivarasa (
left
) and Machang MP Saifuddin Nasution Ismail are expected to be cross-examined next Monday," Abdul Rashid told
Malaysiakini
.
Apart from that, an important witness who videotaped the incident is also expected to be called to testify during the two-week hearing.
Justice Wan Adnan Muhamad – who was elevated to the Court of Appeal in July last year – will continue hearing the case until its completion.
The judge has heard the Apcet II case since March 2006.
Over 100 people arrested
The RM83 million civil suit was filed by the 36 plaintiffs against the Malaysian government and several police officers for wrongful detention and police negligence after an Umno Youth-led mob stormed into an international conference on East Timor in 1996.
On Nov 9, 1996, over 100 people - including 10 journalists - were arrested on the opening day of the Second Asia Pacific Conference on East Timor (Apcet II), held to discuss human rights abuses in East Timor and its struggle for independence from Indonesia.
As the conference was about to begin, 400 members from the Umno Youth-led BBRM, or Malaysia’s People’s Action Front, broke down the doors of the conference halls, threw chairs and verbally and physically abused the participants.
Police then moved in to arrest the participants who were detained for between one and six days, while 40 foreign participants were deported.
Malaysiakini’s chief executive officer Premesh Chandran and editor-in-chief Steven Gan, both then journalists at The Sun , are also among the plaintiffs.
The plaintiffs have named the government, then Inspector General of Police Abdul Rahim Mohd Noor and two senior police officers - then Kuala Lumpur chief police officer Ismail Che Rose and then Dang Wangi OCPD Zainal Abidin Ali - as respondents.
SPECIAL REPORT: Apcet II trial
