Rights activist slams 'brutal cops'

The police were ‘needlessly brutal’ in dispersing some 300 supporters of the banned Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), when they gathered in Kuala Lumpur in Saturday, a human rights activist has claimed.

K Sudhagaran Stanley, coordinator of Penang-based Islanders Tamil Youth Network, said the group had gathered peacefully at the Brickfields police station to lodge reports, but were sprayed with chemical-laced water.

The reports were against the Home Ministry and Kamunting Detention Centre, to demand medical attention for their detained leader P Uthayakumar.

Sudhagaran expressed disgust that the police are being “increasingly misused as a tool of aggression by the federal administration, especially the Umno elite, to suppress public protests against injustice and violation of rights”.

“The police have blatantly used unnecessary force to shackle and intimidate ordinary citizens (against lodging) police reports for a sickly detainee,” he told Malaysiakini.

Uthayakumar has been detained at the Kamunting Detention Centre in Perak under the Internal Security Act since December 2007. A diabetic, his health condition is said to be deteriorating, while he recently sustained a fractured toe.

Lack of respect

Sudhagaran said the police not only had violated human rights, but also showed lack of respect for the elected representatives present.

“Parliamentarians are elected by the people to stand up for their rights. But the police showed total disrespect for the people’s wishes by arresting their representatives,” he said.

“The right to assembly and freedom of expression is for all. Everyone is equal before the law.”

The police action has been roundly criticised by human rights groups and politicians, including Hindraf national coordinator RS Thanenthiran.

He claimed that the police had gone back on their word after making a gentleman’s agreement to allow the supporters to lodge 10 joint police reports in separate groups of five.

Several of the supporters had to seek medical treatment for injuries and breathing difficulties, after the police turned water cannon on them.