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.
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Source