Friday 12 July 2013

Panel says Police, KL City Hall fueled Bersih 3.0 chaos

A government panel has confirmed that Malaysian police used excessive force against yellow-shirted supporters of last year's Bersih 3.0 peaceful rally that descended into chaos in Kuala Lumpur.

Sources in the panel headed by former police chief Tun Hanif Omar also faulted the Kuala Lumpur City Hall for their flimsy excuses in disallowing rally organisers to use Dataran Merdeka for the gathering and Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad (SPN) for stopping government-owned buses and trains from getting into the city.

The panel was set up by the government to investigate police on allegations of brutality against demonstrators and reporters in the rally on April 28, 2012. It handed over a 500-page report of its deliberations to Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on Wednesday.

Speaking to The Malaysian Insider on condition of anonymity, a source said the panel had criticised police for its high-handedness in dealing with the rally participants after they had breached the cordon at Dataran Merdeka.

The report chronicled the events before, during and after the rally that was held to demand for free and fair elections.

Investigations over the past year had led panelists to the conclusion that the police resorted to violence upon provocation.

“Before 3pm, the police behaved professionally," said the source, adding that this information was sourced from 70 videos submitted by the police force to the panel.

“But after 3pm, when some demonstrators took down the barricade at Dataran Merdeka, all hell broke loose.”

Police charged after the demonstrators, chasing them down at various places in the city centre. And most of those targeted were clad in the now-famous yellow Bersih T-shirts.

“The police had its shortcomings but have learnt their lesson based on what happened during Bersih 3.0,” said another source.

This, said the source, was evident in the recent Black 505 rally organised by opposition parties to protest alleged electoral fraud. KL City Hall was also taken to task for its poor handling in the run-up to the event when they offered flimsy excuses why Dataran Merdeka could not be used, the source added.

“City Hall could have handled it better and avoided the mess.

“The panel concluded that City Hall did not give any valid reasons why Dataran Merdeka could not be used. The panel had to accept those reasons because City Hall is the authority in charge of the historic site," said the source.

The panel also criticised the government-owned SPNB for its handling of buses and trains that link suburbs to the city centre.

- Source

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