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Malaysia FRU Troopers Beaten Up Youth

May 29, 2008 Around the Word

Malaysia Federal Reserve Unit troopers beaten up a young guy who was said to have knocked down 1 of the troopers with his car.

Taken from Malaysiakini:

By his account, he was only a curiosity-seeker who wanted to know what was
going on at the site of a disputed barricade near Bandar Mahkota Cheras
(BMC) last night.

In no time at all, however, Chang Jiun Haur was soaked in his own blood
after being repeatedly beaten by 20 riot squad (FRU) personnel armed with
batons and boots with steel toes.

Chang, 21, his sister and two friends were driving away from the site of the
barricade about 11.30pm, when their car was surrounded by police personnel
who had earlier dealt with a fracas involving BMC residents.

A high-ranking police officer at the scene claimed that Chang had run over a
FRU personnel with his car.

“He asked for it. He ran over a policeman and he got what he deserved,” the
officer told Malaysiakini a few minutes after the incident.

Asked to identify the person who was hit by the car, the officer had initial
difficulty in persuading the individual to come forward.

When he did so, the man - who appeared unscathed - claimed: “He tried to run
me over… look at my baton, it is broken. What more evidence do you want?”

However, a police officer who took Chang to the Kajang Hospital said none of
the personnel had been hit by the injured man’s car.

Chang, when met at the hospital at 12.30am, have also denied this as well:
“We had just come back (to Kuala Lumpur) from Port Dickson and wanted to see
what was going on.”

He was lying on a bed, with a bloodied mouth. His shirt had been torn off by
the police, and his shorts were drenched in blood. He was crying from the
shock and trauma, and was unable to say much more.

It is learnt that Chang was placed in the intensive care unit. The other
occupants of his car were arrested last night, but were released today
according to BMC Open Road Committee chairperson Tan Boon Hwa who has been
keeping tabs on last night’s dramatic events.

DAP Selangor executive councillor Ronnie Liu, who visited Chang later last
night, said the police had over-reacted and that the excessive use of force
could not be justified.

“The police should maintain law and order and not assault people. I am
disappointed. My party will provide Chang and the others with lawyers,” Liu
said.

‘Journalists attacked’

Chinese-language dailies reported today that more than 10 people were
seriously injured in yesterday’s incident, which saw BMC residents assaulted
by ‘thugs’ allegedly hired by toll concessionaire Grand Saga.

However, the company has disassociated itself from the incident, also saying
it does not condone violence.

About 7pm yesterday, defiant residents attempted to tear down the barricade
that had just been rebuilt, but were confronted by unidentified men armed
with iron rods, helmets and sticks.

“They attacked the residents immediately. About 10 people were assaulted,
and three of them were reporters. Their cameras were confiscated as well,”
claimed Tan.

Star reported that Utusan Malaysia photographer Roy Azis Abdul Aziz had been
beaten up when he tried to take photos of the fracas.

BMC resident Chin Kee Chong’s right arm was broken (right) and he suffered
injuries to his head, while another resident - Lee Ah Seng - sustained
severe injuries to his head, which required seven stitches.

Some residents claimed that several policemen present during the incident
had failed to intervene.

Kajang police chief Shakaruddin Che Mood, however, said they were only
traffic policemen whom he had sent to the area for traffic control.

“They were too busy controlling traffic and could not do anything,” he told
reporters, adding that five police reports have been lodged on the assault.

Grand Saga has been involved in a long-running dispute over its bid to block
a toll-free access road from BMC to the Cheras-Kajang Highway. The barricade
has been rebuilt on three occasions, after being torn down by residents.

The Selangor menteri besar’s political secretary, Nik Nazmi Nik Ali, has
said that a response will be issued today over last night’s incident.

Tags: Federal Reserve Unit, FRU, Malaysia, Malaysiakini