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EO6 vigil to be held at Dataran Merdeka today
Free Malaysia Today - July 26, 2011
"Besides, we feel there is a need to highlight the issue to different people at different places," said its secretary general S Arutchelvan.
Yesterday, about 150 people conducted a candlelight vigil at the Bukit Aman police headquarters to commemorate the six PSM members detained by the police under the Emergency Ordinance (EO).
Also present with them were DAP publicity chief Tony Pua and Suaram director Kua Kia Soong. However, a group of 30 policemen told the group to disperse saying they were participating in an illegal assembly. Arutchelvan said an officer, only known as Jaafar, made two announcements to the group to disperse before a PSM leader approached the officer.
"He said that we were in violation of Section 27 (5) of the Police Act for assembling without a police permit. I told Jaafar that Article 10 of the Federal Constitution allows freedom of assembly. Jaafar then told me that he was acting under the instruction from the Kuala Lumpur police chief and made a third announcement calling us to disperse," said Arutchelvan.
To avoid any untoward incident, the group then moved from Bukit Aman and held their vigil at Jalan Parlimen. "The were some patrol cars keeping an eye on us there but they didn't disturb us," he said.
The crowd dispersed peacefully at 9pm. PSM is scheduled to hold its vigil tomorrow at the Kuala Lumpur-Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH).
On June 26, the police arrested and remanded six PSM members for allegedly waging war against the King. After the expiry of a seven-day remand period on July 2, the six were detained without trial under the EO.
The PSM EO6, as they are now known, are Sungai Siput MP Dr D Michael Jeyakumar, PSM deputy president M Sarasvathy, central committee members Choo Chon Kai and M Sugumaran, Youth chief R Saratbabu and Sungai Siput branch secretary A Letchumanan.
They were part of 30 PSM activists who were arrested at the Sungai Dua toll plaza in Kepala Batas, Penang, while on their nationwide roadshow to call the people to vote for change.
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