Urgent Appeal Update: 8 still being held in Police Station
suaram
Address: 433A, Jalan 5/46, Gasing Indah, 46000 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
Telephone: +6 03 7784 3525 Fax: +6 03 7784 3526
Email: suaram@suaram. net Web: www.suaram.net
Urgent Appeal Update: 9 December 2008
i) 2 Jerit Volunteers still being held in IPD Taiping ,
ii) 4 JERIT coordinators, Sungai Siput MP and the bus driver is still being held in Kuala Kangsar (6)
iii) After more than 3 hours, the Pajero, Van and Lorry of the southern JERIT team was released
Two JERIT activists who have
been arrested by the police in Taiping around 12noon today still are being held
in IPD Taiping. They were arrested for leafleting the JERIT bicycle campaign
leaflet.
5 others including MP Sungai Siput Dr. Jayakumar Devaraj were arrested by the IPD Kuala Kangsar for questioning the police who was taking Identity Cards from the cyclists. They were still being held in IPD Kuala Kangsar.
Altogether 8 individuals have been arrested on the seventh day of the JERIT cycle campaign. One of the female JERIT activists, Helen Mary Johnson has been molested and punched on the face by a police officer while she was taking photographs. Another JERIT activist Lee Huat Seng’s Lee Huat Seng's camera was confisticated and in the process the police hurt him in the arm.
On the other hand, lorry, Pajero and
van containing JERIT leaflets and bicycles belong to the southern JERIT team
were released around 4pm. This was done after taking statements from the drivers
of the vehicles. One of them, Cheng (driver of the van) was released on police
bail as the leaflet is being investigated as there is no proper "information” on
the publisher.
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.
The arrested are:
1. Ooi
Choon Nam (IPD
Taiping)
2. Yong Chat Wah (IPD
Taiping)
3. Dr. Jayakumar Devaraj (IPD Kuala Kangsar)
4. Rani Rasiah (IPD Kuala Kangsar)
5. Jothi (IPD Kuala Kangsar)
6. Sugumaran (IPD Kuala Kangsar)
7. Karthik (IPD Kuala Kangsar)
8. S Vasu Rao, 49.
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.
4 December: A volunteer of the
campaign, Ruben s/o Loganathan has been arrested at Merbau Pulas, Kedah,
for leafleting leaflets containing demands of JERIT's Bicycle campaign, but
released under police bail on the same day.
5 December: Teluk Kumbar police had
stopped the cyclist of JERIT cycle campaign from leafleting in Teluk Kumbar,
Penang.
6 December: 16 Activist has been
arrested in Skudai Johor.
For further details please
contact Nalini E at 019-3758912
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. IPD
Taiping
Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah Taiping,
Jln Taming
Sari,
34000 Taiping,
Perak.
Tel: 05-8291222
Fax: 05-8077169
OCPD Taiping: 019 6000240
2. IPD Kuala Kangsar
Jalan Raja Chulan,
33000 Kuala Kangsar,
Perak
Tel: 05 7762222
Fax: 05-7772741
OCPD Gaafar:
012 7132719
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:
Release 8 JERIT Activists
Immediately
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 the eight activists to be released immediately and unconditionally and
allow cyclists to continue their campaign in Johor. 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]