| The Abolish the ISA Movement (GMI) has put off a planned vigil to protest detention without trial under the Internal Security Act at the historic Dataran Merdeka tonight.
In a faxed statement last night, GMI president Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh said a police permit was pending for a new date - Jan 5 next year.
“In keeping with the constitutional right to assemble peacefully, GMI is firm in its intention to hold this programme,” he said.
S yed Ibrahim stressed that the event, like previous GMI events, would be entirely peaceful and pose no threat to public order and national security.
“It has rather been the actions and deliberate provocation by the police which have caused (peaceful) gatherings to end in chaos,” he added.
The vigil was to be attended by ISA detainee’s family members and civil society groups.
The Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), which was also suppose to participate in the vigil, has advised its supporters not to gather at Dataran Merdeka tonight via Short-Message Service (SMS). Meanwhile, the Deputy Internal Security Minister Fu Ah Kiow said that the police will decide later on the application made to hold the assembly in January.
"The police will decide (on their application for a permit) after considering various factors to avoid any untoward incidents," he was quoted as saying by Bernama.
Dataran closed to public
Hindraf was the latest casualty of ISA detention when five of the movements’s leaders were arrested under the act on Dec 13.
Yesterday, Dang Wangi district police chief ACP Zulkarnain Abdul Rahman issued a stern warning to GMI and the public to stay away from Dataran Merdeka because no permit was issued for the event.
In recent months the police have carried a no-nonsense attitude in dispersing crowd who had participated in these illegal assemblies by resorting to use water cannons and tear gas. Scores have also been arrested and charged in court for taking part in these rallies. |
