Bastille Day
Jul 14th, 2007 by Tian
This note has been passed to Nat last night, clandestinely.
Nat was brought to court this morning. Apparently he was transported to Jalan Duta court complex at about 11:00hr. However the police did not inform our lawyers or his family. Luckily Utaya Kumar, a lawyer who is heading an NGO Police Watch, was in the same court for another matter. He spotted Nat and phoned Sivarasa.
Upon receiving the news, we all rushed to the court immediately. Nat was brought to the magistrate court no.10 on the level 2. The police were rather agitated with even a small crowd. We got to see Nat in court. He was wearing a lock-up T-shirt, handcuffed and bare footed. The police were harsh and prevented friends from approaching him. Nonetheless he was in good spirit.
At 14:00hr, the hearing resumed. The magistrate then ordered all people including family members and journalists to leave the court room.
The remand hearing proceed in closed door with only lawyers and the accused present.
Nat was charged with possessing OSA document (pr documents, we are not sure). It was said that he posted on the net a link online which leads to a website that publishes allegation of corruption against Johari Baharom.
The police requested 14 days remand. Sivarasa and Lateefah fought hard to defend Nat. They argued that investigation can be done without putting Nat behind bar.
At the end, the court granted 4 days remand. That means Nat has to stay in the lock-up of IPD Dang Wangi until Tuesday 17 July.
Today is Bastille Day. 200 over years ago, the French stormed the prison of Bastille to establish a constitutional democracy.
The event led to the Storming of the Bastille was the sacking of a populist finance minister Jacques Necker.
At the time, French people could be arbitrarily detained on the basis of “lettre de cachet” (king’s letter).
Today Malaysians are still living in the shadow of fear under this authoritarian system. Are we 200 years behind schedule?
[...] a police state What disturbs me is not just the fact that Nathaniel Tan was arrested, but also the manner in which he was taken away and a few hours later was seen in a police lockup. The only people who [...]
No lah, Bastille Day occurred on July 14 in 1789 in France. Malaysia was not even formed yet. Penang was only three years into British rule.
So we cannot be behind by nearly 220 years.
Malaysia actually lost its soul in 1969. That year, NOC rule began. Tun Razak became prime minister in 1971. The NEP began in 1975. Tun Razak died in 1976 when Hussein Onn too over as Prime Minister. He “resigned” in 1981 when Dr Mahathir took over. Musa Hitam (now Tun) resigned as deputy prime minister in 1986. Operation Lalang occurred in 1987. Salleh Abas was sacked as Lord President in 1988.
Look at our ringgit. From 1993, when Tun Tan Siew Sin resigned as Finance Mininter, till now. Our ringgit cannot even achieve parity with the currency of the tiny red dot we call Singapore.
Doesn’t that tell us something about the way the country is managed?
[...] disturbs me is not just the fact that Nathaniel Tan was arrested, but also the manner in which he was taken away and a few hours later was seen in a police lockup. The only people who [...]
[...] read this story. Nathaniel Tan was taken into police custody. Bastille day Nathaniel Tan is an aide of Parti Keadilan Rakyat adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Nathaniel is [...]
“… handcuffed and bare footed”… “… remand hearing proceed in closed door…”
Hahahaaaaa…! What a laugh! What high drama!
Did I not hear the goosesteps and the clinking of the boots?!
Anyone who thinks this is not jungle low version of low-budget B movie ‘Vee hef vays…!’ deserves not to get a free lunch at even a fake French restaurant with a non-existent Uberreichmeister and lovely bodilyguard.
On zee azer hand, those who tink correctly, will, Jah! get free lunch mit eine free doctored souvenir pic – framed like any suspect!
Only with a mentally backward goebbelment can the SS go into such immatured and cowardly drama of sneaking a totally harmless (handcuffs?! barefoot?!) person into a kangaroo pen. And that is not without men in monocles and leather coats first dropping by home to quietly invite the esteemed guest to sit under intense light!
Did I here the bright sparks among you call it all fascism? The French kebab, alcohol-free wine and ‘freedom fries’ are on me – this a an act of kindergarten playground intimidation and has no place in a civilised country (Errrmmm… that’s what we are not… and least those schultzes in our Turd Reich).
Any self-respecting (am I asking too much?) marsupial should do everything (if warranted) openly, treat a suspect courteously, charge the person and impose a token bail which is all the ‘case’ deserves. Get the embarrassment over quick by quietly releasing the victim of injustice as soon as possible.
Our lousy film-making industry is not going to improve when you make a mountain out of no hue (which is what this storm in a plastic tarik cup is) and all the drama is going to get to is to fizz into something the rest of the world is going to get a right rolling righteous laughter over. I am rolling down the Klink Klank valley with uncontrollable laughter already… jah!
Mark my words – whatever that marsupial with the puppetmeister fingers up his behind is going to come up with (sure, sedition, rendition, communism, and all that) he is going to get eggs and flour bombs battered on his face!
Just how can you charge and with good sense, an innocent of anything that can sschtick at a drop of a sarong?!
Your lack-of-honour is going to receive for our country what I think the French call omelete or crap or something like that…! Another fine mess…!
We should fine the courts for wasting our time!
This is Merde-ka all right!
If really everything is aboveboard, and it is “only for an investigation”, why do the police always seem to do things in such a shadowy manner? First with arresting another prominent politician in the middle of the night at his house, and now, with coming after office-hours, with nothing more than “nak cakap pasal internet”, and detaining him in a “secret place” for an “indefinite period of time”.
Whatever happened to the Amanah, ie. Trust bit about being in the police force?
sign the petition! http://www.PetitionOnline.com/nat2007/
Nathaniel Tan is a very dangerous man. He is spreading lies over the internet and chat room. I support the police in arresting Nathaniel tan .
Under what sort of jurisdiction should the poor guy be handcuffed/chained? and bared footed??
What a lot of rubbish by the authority which is clearly trying the “bullying tactic” on the public.
Looks like the nation’s law and order has been in the hand of a few so-called elite ones who had taken the law in their own hands.
Outsiders and M’sian would label this as “Justice is Dead”!!!
[...] http://jelas.info/ http://www.tianchua.net http://www.jeffooi.com http://elizabethwong.wordpress.com/Â [...]
OMG !!
no wonder so many people migrant, how to live in a country without human right !??
Police here wanna follow Guantanamo Bay style… After all, ISA is actually a Guantanamo Bay in Malaysia. 2 years detainment without trial/charge. Luckily, Nat Tan has not been arrested under ISA… I really hope that he could be released ASAP. And let us all pray for him.
In Malaysia, you get arrested if you posesses governments dirty secret. Soon BN will set up Secret Police like Saddam did to silence all those who oppose them. Barbarian Nasional for another term? Anyone?
It is obvious that the police is acting under someone’s direction. That someone ought to be trialled and be held responsible for such bungle. How on earth in a civilised world can the authority justify the ‘arrest’ without warrant. Those few police guy should be brought to justice and from them we can get to the bottom of this ‘bullying’.
… He was wearing a lock-up T-shirt, handcuffed and bare footed …
… At 14:00hr, the hearing resumed. The magistrate then ordered all people including family members and journalists to leave the court room.
… The remand hearing proceed in closed door with only lawyers and the accused present. …
Assume the above is true, may anyone in the legal practice englighthen us have the police abuses the procedures?
Why the court closed it door to the public?
Will Nat Tan challenge the ill handling in court?
(Tian: Yes, a revision has been filed in High Court, hearing on 13 August)
poop
Bastille Day in Marseille is great check out my About Marseille page to read about this event. Hope this helps.