Updated 10:13pm, 16 Dec 2008
SHAH ALAM, 16 Dec 2008: Police will take action against Sungai Siput Member of Parliament Dr D Jeyakumar for allegedly using children in an illegal gathering in Rawang yesterday, Selangor police chief Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said.
Thirty people were arrested in the “Cycling for Change” campaign, organised by Jaringan Rakyat Tertindas or Oppressed People Network, known as Jerit, including Rawang assemblyperson Gan Pei Nei.
Twenty-eight others, aged 18 and below, were brought to the Rawang police station while officers from the Welfare Department contacted their parents to take them home, he said.
Khalid told reporters here that Jeyakumar was arrested later after he admitted to having organised the event which had no police permit.
He said Jeyakumar would be taken action under Seksyen 32 of the Act for using children in the gathering.
He said those aged 18 and below are considered children under the Child Act 2001.
“The children were never arrested… we saved them from being exploited,” he said after attending the ISO9001:2000 certification ceremony for a security company, Orbit Force Security Sdn Bhd.
Khalid said he did not receive any permit application for the gathering.
On the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide, Khalid said, the police would be guarding the housing areas which had been vacated due to safety concerns until a decision was made whether the area was safe for the residents.
Some 500 personnel were guarding the area at the moment, he said.
He also said that the police were waiting for K Thanarajah, whose wife Dr S Yogeswari perished in the incident, to make a report about his claim that members of the search-and-rescue team were seen scouring a destroyed bungalow after the search operation was called off.
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters after attending an event in PETALING JAYA, Khalid said the police were considering action against the parents of the 28 children for allowing them to participate in the activity.
“It is clear that these children, aged below 18, are confused about the purpose of the expedition. When asked, they said that they didn’t know and asked us to ask their parents.
“Although most of them had brought permission letters from their parents, it does not mean they can flout the law.
“It is clear that the actions of the parents and organisers are in conflict with the Child Act as some of the children are only 15 years old,” he told reporters after attending a crime prevention campaign for the festive season.
He said the police will also investigate the possibility that the children or their parents were paid to participate in the illegal procession. — Bernama
