Human Rights Party Fails To Hand Over Memorandum To Palace

A group claiming to be members of the Human Rights Party Malaysia failed to hand over a memorandum seeking Sultan of Perak Sultan Azlan Shah’s intervention in issues pertaining to conversion.

Instead, the group was involved in a stand-off with the police at the Impiana Hotel car park, 300m away from Istana Kinta, which ended with one of them being arrested.

The party’s national information chief S. Jayathas said party members had planned to drive together to the palace from its headquarters in First Garden but was advised against doing so by the police.

He said they were told that only one vehicle with four people would be allowed into the palace.

A smaller group led by pro-tem secretary-general P. Uthayakumar was already waiting at the hotel car park.

However, a member who was in the car heading towards the palace was arrested after he defied orders to stop the vehicle.

The man, 53-year-old retired army sergeant, was alleged to have hurled profanities against policemen when they tried to take away his car keys.

Thirty minutes later, Ramesh and Uthayakumar announced that none of them would go to the palace if only four people were allowed in.

They instead left the memorandum on the bonnet of a police car after the police refused to hand it over on their behalf.

They then lodged a report at the Ipoh district police headquarters alleging police aggression and misuse of power.

Acting Ipoh OCPD Supt Ibrahim Abu Bakar said the group had never intended to hand over the memorandum and was merely seeking publicity.

“The police had given them more than an hour to hand it over and yet they came up with excuse after excuse not to.”

He said police would study the memorandum but was unsure if it would be handed over to the palace.

Last Updated (Monday, 30 August 2010 13:34)