Sunday May 12, 2013

Singapore cops take action against Malaysians over rallies

PETALING JAYA: Nine Malaysians, who took part in a protest at the Merlion Park in Singapore, have been issued with conditional warnings for “actively participating in the illegal gathering”.

The Singapore Straits Times reported the republic's police as saying that the work and visit passes of the Malaysians involved were also being reviewed by the authorities.

“Their employers will be informed of this. Further investigations are ongoing,” wrote the daily.

The nine were believed to have played some part in organising the protest, which was illegal in the island republic as it did not have a police permit.

On Wednesday, about 100 people, mostly Malaysians, had gathered near Singapore landmark Marina Bay at about 9.30pm to protest, claiming the recent Malaysian general election was rigged.

The crowd, mainly dressed in black, had held up signs and broke out into chants.

The Singapore police warned that any outdoor demonstration whether flash mobs or protests in the republic for any cause would require police permits.

Federal CID director Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Zinin said their Singaporean counterparts would be handling the investigation on the illegal gathering.

“We will not interfere as the Malaysians have allegedly broken Singaporean law in Singapore. We must respect the Singaporean authorities,” he said.

Meanwhile, AFP reported Singapore police as saying that 21 Malay-sians were arrested in Singapore yesterday for staging an illegal protest over the Malaysian general election.

The Malaysians were arrested at Merlion Park for staging a protest “despite repeated police advisories” against such gatherings, the city-state's police said in a statement.

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