Malaysia: Police arrest #Lawan candlelight vigil attendees in Dataran Merdeka

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA -- Attendees of a candlelight vigil held at Dataran Merdeka here in memory of 13,000 thousand people who lost their lives to COVID-19 were arrested by police on Thursday night (19 August).

Malay Mail reported that the vigil was put to an end by the police after #Lawan organiser, Secretariat Solidariti Rakyat (SSR)’s Ashraf Sharafi, finished reading a statement by the youth group at 8.30pm.

17 men and 14 women were then ferried away to the Dang Wangi Police District Headquarters nearby, the media outlet observed.

According to Malay Mail, the police did not comment on why the arrests were made.

MISI: Solidariti co-founder and secretary Sarah Irdina tweeted a video of two women reportedly "being dragged away by force" by police officers.

Vigil participants were also asked to disperse from the site, Sarah added.

https://twitter.com/sunflwrsarah/status/1428338962955866112

One of the two women referred to by Sarah is the Democratic Action Party's Women Selangor state secretary Nalina Nair, who livestreamed the incident on her Instagram page, including the journey in the police van and up to their arrival at the Dang Wangi police station.

The other is understood to be Chong Yee Shan, a Parti Sosialis Malaysia central committee member.

Vigil attendees, according to Nalina, were told by police to surrender their identification cards.

Media personnel, she added, were asked to leave "in one minute's time".

Thulsi Manogaran, coordinator for Freedom of Expression at the Civil Society Coalition tweeted footage of the arrests on Thursday night.

Vigil participants, she said, were "forced into the Black Maria" police vehicles.

"(T)hey (police) said they want to compound us but they refuse to answer our question if we are arrested and the police officer asked me not to embarass Malaysia," said Thulsi.

https://twitter.com/ThulsiPens/status/1428344330943557634

https://twitter.com/ThulsiPens/status/1428345357507829761

Around 10pm, MISI: Solidariti tweeted that most lawyers were prohibited by police from seeing the vigil participants at the police station.

https://twitter.com/MSolidariti/status/1428358124524642319

Online portal The Vibes reported Kuala Lumpur police chief Azmi Abu Kassim as saying that claims on lawyers being barred from seeing the attendees at the police station are untrue.

The Dang Wangi district police station also told The Vibes that the attendees were not being arrested and were only brought in for "documentation".

https://twitter.com/thevibesnews/status/1428359755211309056

At around 11.17pm, Undi18 Programme Manager of Advocacy & Communications, Roshinee Mookaiah tweeted that she was informed that three lawyers have been allowed to enter the IPD Dang Wangi police station.

https://twitter.com/Roshinee_M/status/1428375517649014789?s=20

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim earlier urged the authorities to release the vigil participants immediately.

"Do not arrest them and do not intimidate (them). Must give (them) space to protest in peace," he tweeted.

https://twitter.com/anwaribrahim/status/1428367223970615302

At 11.55, Roshinee said that a fellow Undi18 team member was issued a RM2,000 (S$643.34) compound for assembling at an alleged "infected local area".

Around four activists were also released from the Dang Wangi police station, including the Undi18 team member, she noted.

https://twitter.com/Roshinee_M/status/1428385746403037199

In a joint statement on Thursday night, several activists and civil society groups condemned the police's conduct towards the vigil attendees who were "exercising their right to peaceful assembly" in line with COVID-19 safe distancing protocols.

"While restrictions on large gatherings may be imposed due to public health concerns, they must be necessary and proportionate to the aim that they intend to achieve.

"It is completely unnecessary, disproportionate and a violation of participants’ rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression to arrest them and to cart them away in Black Marias," said the groups.

"By putting participants in Black Maria vehicles, the authorities were forcing them together into a confined space.

"If they were truly concerned about public health, they would allow the participants to complete their vigil in the large outdoor space that they were in and let them peacefully disperse," they added.

The joint statement was made by entities including, but not limited to, All Women’s Action Society (AWAM), Amnesty International Malaysia, Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM), Angkatan Mahasiswa UM, Bersih 2.0, Centre for Independent Journalism, and Communication Action Network (CAN).

The groups highlighted that it is "utterly incongruous for the authorities to arrest participants of a peaceful vigil held outdoors with physical distancing and face masks on at all times" when the government has "loosened restrictions and even allowed indoor dine-in in Phase 1 states", where diners will be unmasked and in close proximity to one another.

"We stand against the use of the authorities to silence dissent and criticism. We stand for the freedom of expression and the freedom of assembly. We stand with the young people and our colleagues who have been arrested for expressing the nation’s sorrow.

"We call for their immediate release. Anything less dishonours the dead for whom these brave participants gathered to remember tonight," said the groups.

Next #Lawan protest called off following Muhyiddin’s resignation from PM post — but campaign “will not stop”, says organisers

The candlelight vigil took place two days before a large-scale #Lawan protest was slated to be held on Saturday.

Organisers, however, have decided to call off the rally after Muhyiddin Yassin announced his resignation from the Prime Minister post on Monday.

SSR said in a statement on Thursday that Muhyiddin’s decision to step down “is a victory for the people of Malaysia who have held him responsible for the 13,000 lives who fell as a result of the government’s failure to contain the COVID-19 situation under his leadership”.

However, SSR stressed that the fight under #Lawan will not cease notwithstanding Muhyiddin’s resignation.

“The democratisation process as well as check and balance against the government must continue. We will not hesitate to act further if the new government that is to be formed fails to exercise its responsibility in ensuring that this country is free from the pandemic and shallow political turmoil,” said the group.

Previously, a large-scale protest was held on 30 July as part of the #Lawan campaign. ‘Lawan’ is the Malay word for ‘fight’ or ‘resist’.

Among the demands made in the campaign include Muhyiddin’s resignation and for Parliament sittings to continue, particularly after months of suspension since the start of the Emergency period in January.

Protesters clad in black outfits and masks peacefully marched through downtown Kuala Lumpur on the last day of July, despite being warned by the police against doing so on the eve of the protest.

The participants — mostly young Malaysians — that morning held up black flags as well as banners and placards condemning Muhyiddin’s administration over the government’s poor handling of the COVID-19 situation.

“KERAJAAN GAGAL” (“failed government”), “KERAJAAN PENIPU” (“liar government”), and “MISSING IN ACTION: ONLY TALKS THRU PDF” were among wordings seen on some of the placards — the last one referencing Muhyiddin’s frequent absence from the spotlight in times of crisis.

Astro Awani reported that those who participated in the protest on 30 July adhered to social distancing guidelines and standard operating procedures at all times.

Hours prior to the protest, roads leading up to Dataran Merdeka — where the protesters were originally slated to march from the Masjid Jamek LRT station — were shut off by the police.

During the protest itself, demonstrators were prevented by police from making their way to Dataran Merdeka, despite the organisers’ attempt to negotiate with the authorities.

Following that, demonstrators held a sit-in protest, where they were seen singing Negaraku — Malaysia’s national anthem — as well as making speeches and chanting their demands.

The protest reportedly ended around 1.30 pm after police instructed the protesters to disperse.

While the organisers estimated a turnout of around 1,000 people at the protest on 30 July, police said that the number of people who turned up was estimated to be only around 400.

In addition to the demand for Muhyiddin to step down from the PM post, health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah was also chastised for allegedly being a “puppet” of the government, according to a placard held by a protester.

On 13 August, Dr Noor Hisham announced that the Health Ministry did not discover any cluster originating from the #Lawan protest on 30 July, dispelling concerns from critics previously.