50th. Anniversary of the ISA (1-8-2010)

Again it was the people who won the hearts of many. Some came alone, others in pairs or with their families and saw no crime in lighting 1candle to the dark ages of the ISA. They came to commemorate 50 years of a hideous law that's placed in the hands of a select few to do as they please.
But these people of peace came to demand that primitive law of the ISA be abolished. They did not fear or resist arrest for being there. Theirs was a show of defiance against the corrupt power-that-be and to show their displeasure of a draconian law used loosely to shut-off dissent.

And their only "crime" is for being vocal about a primitive law, modern men have done away with. A law that should have been repealed the day we were given independence from our colonial masters. A law this corrupt government has used a hundred times over and to their advantage, to silence "truth" and implant "fear" in the hearts and minds of those who witness !

....and these are the few of the many that defied the brute force of this government by lighting 1candle....but they were warned and very roughly pushed back from the "padang" to AmCorp Mall in PJ by maybe a hundred more in number of men with batons and shields and fully armed and loaded guns against the 1candle bearing tax-paying vigillers. And they continued to sing the "NegaraKu" while being shoved rudely. (note the time embedded on each picture )

....and then the arrests begins......selective "eagle-eyed" observance of an individual.....then they zoom-in and grab that victim, not politely but like thugs or hyenas going in for the kill....

....here as usual, Bernard taunting a luminous-vested-SB while his superior (right) watches menacingly......POLICE STATE RULES ?

.....and Bernard had to be literally dragged away before they targeted him.....

....another friend, Lee being arrested and with head held high proudly, gave me parting instructions.(click on picture to see the nasty gnash on his fore-head)....obvious signs of police "mis-man-handling" of innocent victims !

.....another still being dragged away to the delight/disgust of photographers having so many subjects to "shoot" away for the day....

.....whoooaa...the "mighty-boys-in-blue" regrouping before another wave of arrests......

...as seen from inside the Mall.....you should have seen the condemning look tourists around the area gave our police. They were shocked to know we had such a brutal and violent police force on unarmed citizens. Someone remarked in passing...."welcome to Zimbabwe".....and they walked on...shaking their heads in disbelieve when told the "crime" reason of the arrests....holding candles !

Haris was not an observer from the Bar Council, yes ? But where were all the PR men of Selangor ?? Negotiating ? No.....I did not see any of the elected from Selangor ! Maybe they thought being at the police station was a "safer" choice ?

I think that's Michelle Kumar (side-profile on the right), and other observers from the Bar Council watching the protesters who were forced into the deeper end of the Mall, and which did not stop the cops from entering and arresting a few more.....

....photographers filing out of the barricade.....

.....and the second round of defiance begins......can you believe it ?..... only in Malaysia a lit candle is considered a dangerous weapon. It's okay to hold an unlit candle, but the minute you light up.....swooosh.....they come down on you like a pack of retarded- jerkers, blow the fire off the candle and you're man-handled roughly and handcuffed before dragging you away, like an arsonist who was about to burn the PM's residence ! Maybe candles too will be a "controlled" item and a permit will be required to sell them, soon ! So watch all those birthday cakes without candles from now on !

...."he's da main mann behind the blitzzzzsss".....but as Bernard remarked later......t'was nice of him to bring along his entire troop to be with the vigillers in "solidarity" !

....herded like cattle into the black maria.....but you must have heard the joyous "inmates" within, singing the national anthem loudly amid chants in unison of repeated "police ganas" and "undur BN" and "undur ISA"...

....and then it was "stand-down" for these boys-in-blue.

Nothing much has changed since we used to meet every Sunday night for the candle-light vigils from late 2008 to early 2009 ( here ). Guess even after 1 year, this BN government has never done any damage-control.....it's business as usual !

Last heard later that night that there were 28 arrests while hundreds gathered with candle in hand in front of the PJ Police station where water canons and more "mighty" men-in-blue stood guard barring all from entering the premises, save their lawyers.

These demonstrations have always fascinated me. How can such peaceful gatherings in the true spirit of unity where all races come together, singing songs, clapping and laughing, be a threat to National Security ?
Maybe the BN government wants us all to be like those Talibans.....where you are banned from cheering or clapping even at a football game, but chants of "Allahu Akbar" is okay but with solemn expressions ?? Really shows how shaky and insecured the BN government of today is, right ?

1Malaysia ???
Sheeeeeesh !!!