E Contrario

PORTEST: Sequence of Events[Part 1]

Cheras Road experienced an exciting Sunday last week. On 21 January, PROTES Kenaikan Tol or the Anti-Toll Hike Coalition held its 3rd series of demonstration at 11 Mile Toll Plaza (Batu 11).

The demonstration was scheduled to start at 16:00hr. Unfortunately I was running late due to my earlier meeting with buyers of low cost flats in Taman Sri Pelangi. I arrived at the toll gate about 20 minutes late. While I was driving, I kept communicating on the phone with other organizers: Dr Hatta and Cik Lee Kim Seng, KeADILan’s division chief of Ulu Langat.

Apparantly, Cikgu Lee and Dr Hatta were at different sides of the toll plaza. Cikgu Lee and the residents of Taman Sri Mahkota planned to march from their hosuing area. Taman Sri Mahkota residents had been demonstraing for 14 times previous. Their access to main road had been sealed by the highway company and as a result they have to take a long tour through the toll plaza and pay extra money.

Before Cikgu Lee and the group could even start their assembly, the police struck first. In the process of arresst, many were assaulted. About 11 residents including Lee Kim Seng were arrested. I was not on the spot, a friend took the following photos:

FRU were ready even before anybody had gathered.

A brave demonstrator walked alone towards the line of FRU

A very daring person indeed. He was standing alone and waving a DAP flag. The police must be biting their teeth waiting for the order to bite

What the man did was just prelude. As soon as the crowd started to assemble, the police became agitated. The police attacked and started the arrest:

Arrest began: tangkap! tangkap! tangkap!

Our brave man arrested

There were also other forms of arrest.

Cikgu Lee and other arrested are taken into the police van

Activists arrested are locked up in the van and sent to Kajang Police Station later

On the other side of the toll plaza (towards Kajang side), people were also gathering. Here Dr Hatta of Pas and Ronie Liew of DAP were leading. I joined the crowd of demonstrators as soon as I hopped out of the car. Dr Hatta had just started his opening speech, the agitated police forces rushed to dismiss the group.

Soon a police car came. In the car was the Kajang OPCD and he used the loudhailer in the car to demand our dispersal. When we refused, the police force approached a few leaders like Dr Hatta, Ronie Liew and I and tried to arrest us.

Suddenly, people shouting: “If you want to arrest, arrest us all!” The suporters started to come closer, using their bodies to build a human barricade. We joined arms and linked hands, all trying to move into the police vehicle and volunteered to be arrested.

Then the police began to push the crowd away. They seemed to target a few ‘prominent’ activists. Dr Hatta, Ronie, Jasmine, I were one after the other arrested. By about 16:30hr, 9 activists were arrested.

We were all taken to IPD Kajang. So, we counted a total of 20 persons arrested.

Ronie Liew arrested