Urgent Appeal: Police have stopped cyclists from leafleting in Teluk Kumbar, Penang
suaram
Address: 433A, Jalan 5/46, Gasing Indah, 46000 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
Telephone: +6 03 7784 3525 Fax: +6 03 7784 3526
Email: sua...@suaram.net Web: www.suaram.net
Urgent Appeal: 5th December 2008
Police have stopped cyclists from leafleting in Teluk Kumbar, Penang
Teluk Kumbar police had stopped the cyclist of JERIT cycle campaign from leafleting in Teluk Kumbar, Penang. The whole team is being asked to go to Teluk Kumbar police station. Inspector Lokman (Police officer in duty) had stopped the cyclist and warns them not to continue cycling and threaten them to be arrested if they ignore the order.
A bus and lorry containing cycles of the cyclist also have been brought to Teluk Kumbar police station. The police continuously intimidate and threaten the cyclist since the campaign started on the 3rd December. Yesterday Ruben a/l Loganathan arrested by the police in Merbau Pulas, Kedah for leafleting leaflets containing demands of JERIT’s Bicycle campaign.
SUARAM strongly condemns the police for their ongoing attacks and intimidation on freedom of expression, a fundamental right which is guaranteed under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Federal Constitution of Malaysia. We demand the Malaysian government to allow the cyclist to continue cycling and practice their freedom of expression as stated in Federal Constitution.
Background
JERIT or Oppressed People’s Movement is organizing a cycling campaign throughout the nation to put forward six demands to the Prime Minister of Malaysia. The campaign officially began on the 3rd December at Wisma Darul Aman Kedah. 50 cyclists have been flagged off from Wisma Darul Aman and they would cycle for sixteen days through Kedah, Penang, Perak, and Selangor. On 18th December they will handover a memorandum to the Prime Minister in Parliament.
For further details please contact Choon Kai at 019 5669518
Released By,
Nalini.E
SUARAM Coordinator
Urgent action
needed:
Please write
protest letters to the government and the police to express your strongest
condemnation of the arrests and the ongoing denial of rights of expression.
Please also demand the Malaysian government to allow the cyclist to continue
their campaign and allow them to practice their freedom of expression as stated
in Federal Constitution.
Please call and send your protest letters
to:
1. Teluk Kumbar Police station
Balai Polis Teluk
Kumbar
Polis Diraja Malaysia
11920 Barat Daya
Pulau
Pinang
Tel: 04 649 1953
Inspector Lokman: 013 9446352
ASP Haidi: 019 5776999
2. IPD Barat
Daya
Ibupejabat Polis
Daerah Barat Daya,
Polis Diraja Malaysia,
11000 Balik Pulau,
Pulau
Pinang.
Tel: 04-8669222
Fax: 04-8668822
3. Inspector-General
of Police
Tan Sri Musa
Hassan
Ibu Pejabat Polis Diraja Malaysia,
50560 Bukit
Aman,
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Tel: +603 2262 6015
Fax: +603
2272 5613
SAMPLE
LETTER
[Letterhead
of your organisation]
Inspector-General of
Police
Tan Sri Musa Hassan
Ibu Pejabat Polis Diraja
Malaysia,
50560 Bukit Aman,
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Tel:
+603 2262 6015
Fax: +603 2272 5613
Dear Sir,
Re: Police have stopped cyclists from leafleting in Teluk Kumbar, Penang
We are writing to you, once again, to express our outrage and our strongest condemnation over your government's ongoing crackdown on freedom of expression.
We are appalled
by your government and the police's latest actions and view this as yet another
attempt by your government to intimidate Malaysian citizens from participating
in any form of public assembly and exercising their freedom to express their
views.
We demand that cyclists, lorry and bus containing the cycles and
the rest of the team to be released immediately and unconditionally. We further
demand that your government stops the assault on freedom of
expression.
We strongly urge you, once again, to stop bringing shame to
Malaysia, a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council. We would like to
remind you that freedom of expression is guaranteed in the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights as well as the Federal Constitution of Malaysia.
Yours
sincerely,
[Name]
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