THE day after police forcefully broke up peaceful candlelight vigils held on 1 Aug 2010 against the Internal Security Act (ISA), and arrested 36 people in Petaling Jaya and Penang, I followed a debate on Twitter. It was between a young lawyer and a Barisan Nasional (BN) Member of Parliament (MP). The gist of their […]
anti-ISA rally
What happens under arrest
By Deborah LohCorrected at 8:45pm, 11 Aug 2009 SIVARASA Rasiah was a human rights lawyer before he entered politics and was elected as the Member of Parliament for Subang in the March 2008 general election. Hence, the Parti Keadilan Rakyat vice-president is no stranger to the criminal justice system — and to being arrested himself. On 1 […]
Demonising demonstrations
By Deborah Loh“Demonstrations are done out of desperation and selfishness. The majority of the people are uneasy with such action …The majority of the people are rational and want important and basic matters to be made a priority by the government.” HOME Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, calling the 1 Aug 2009 anti-Internal Security Act (ISA) protest […]
What’s wrong with the ISA?
By Deborah LohPolice and water cannon during the 1 Aug anti-ISA rally (Pic courtesy of Merdeka Review) MOB rule. “Ini bukan budaya kita”. Public nuisance. The 20,000 who marched on 1 Aug 2009 in Kuala Lumpur against the Internal Security Act (ISA) have been labelled these. Whether or not one agrees with using street protests as a […]
Upholding the Child Act
By The Fairly Current ShowTHE recent anti-Internal Security Act (ISA) rally on 1 Aug 2009 saw tens of thousands of Malaysians take to the streets of Kuala Lumpur to object against the law which allows for indefinite state detention without trial. The rally saw what was likely to be the largest number of arrests at a single event in […]
Chaos in the streets
By Teo Nie ChingTraffic jam in KL city (Pic courtesy of Merdeka Review) 1 AUG 2009 was a nightmare for Klang Valley residents. Once peaceful streets — what many rightfully expected on a Saturday — were gridlocked in massive jams caused by police roadblocks all over Kuala Lumpur. Many were trapped in the horrendous traffic. Those who did […]
Demonstrations
By The Nut Graph teamTHE 1 Aug 2009 anti-Internal Security Act (ISA) street rally attracted big crowds scattered around the heart of Kuala Lumpur. The throng of people easily numbered 20,000 but could have been more. Demonstrators sported headbands, T-shirts and banners that decried the draconian law. They called for the Act, which allows for indefinite state detention without […]
Fence-sitting on the anti-ISA demonstration
By Lim Hong SiangMEDIA cetak bahasa Cina utama menyiarkan gambar bagaimana polis menyuraikan perhimpunan “Mansuhkan ISA” dengan tembakan gas pemedih mata dan semburan meriam air berasid. Ramai penulis dan penganalisa duduk di atas pagar, sementara menonjolkan “kekerasan yang keterlaluan dari pihak polis”, juga dicadangkan agar orang ramai menyuarakan pandangan mengikut “saluran yang bersesuaian”. Namun demikian, pada hari keesokan […]
Suhakam: Respect right to assembly
By Tan Sri Simon SipaunTHE Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) regrets to note that in the process of dispersing the 15,000-strong crowd marching in protest of the Internal Security Act (ISA) in Kuala Lumpur on 1 Aug 2009, the police used tear gas and water [cannons] excessively, which also affected bystanders. The day of the public assembly ended […]
Arrested development
By Tony PuaWELL, it was just going to be a sooner-or-later thing. Getting arrested is kinda like a serious occupational hazard for a politician, elected or otherwise, who belongs in the opposition camp in this country. So when I was actually arrested on Sunday, 9 Nov 2008, at the candlelight vigil commemorating the first anniversary of the […]