Can a lying CPO be trusted to fight crime and protect citizens?!

Two statements on the same incident by people on the opposite sides of the fence. Dear readers, I leave it to you to form your own conclusions

---------------------------------

Khalid: Polis 'selamatkan' pengayuh bawah umur

(Malaysiakini) - Polis bertindak menahan kumpulan berbasikal "Rakyat Pengayuh Perubahan" bagi menghenti dan mengelak kanak-kanak daripada dieksploitasi oleh pihak tertentu, kata Ketua Polis Selangor, Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar.

Katanya, mereka ditahan kerana menyertai perarakan haram dan kemudiannya bila disemak, didapati 28 daripada mereka berusia di bawah 18 tahun.

Khalid berkata, perkara itu jelas bercanggah dengan Akta Kanak-Kanak kerana ada sesetengah daripada mereka baru berusia 15 tahun.

Menurutnya lagi, ketika memberi keterangan, "kanak-kanak tersebut memberitahu mereka tidak tahu menahu mengapa disuruh ikut serta dalam perarakan berbasikal tersebut."

"Bagi kanak-kanak tersebut, kami (polis) sebenarnya menyelamatkan mereka daripada dianiaya dan disalahgunakan oleh pihak yang tidak bertanggungjawab," katanya kepada pemberita ditemui di balai polis Rawang malam tadi.

Khalid berkata, pihak polis juga telah menghubungi ibu bapa kesemua kanak-kanak dan remaja berkenaan, meminta mereka membawa pulang anak masing-masing.

Polis juga, katanya, akan menyiasat sama ada kesemua mereka telah mendapat kebenaran ibu bapa masing-masing atau tidak, untuk menyertai perarakan tersebut.

Di samping 28 penunggang basikal di bawah umur itu, 29 orang lagi ditahan dan disiasat mengikut Akta Polis kerana menyertai perarakan haram dan mengikut Akta Kanak-kanak kerana menyalahgunakan kanak-kanak.

Antara yang ditahan ialah Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (Adun) Rawang, Gan Pei Nie dari PKR dan ahli parlimen Sungai Siput, Dr D Jeyakumar dari Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM).

Khalid juga memberitahu wartawan bahawa penunggang basikal di bawah umur itu keliru mengenai tujuan ekspedisi tersebut diadakan.

"Kita akan minta ibu bapa untuk membawa pulang kesemua anak-anak mereka," katanya.

Tiada permit

Khalid juga berkata, Gan tidak memohon sebarang permit untuk membenarkan kumpulan penunggang basikal itu untuk melalui Rawang.

Gan bagaimanapun memberitahu pemberita sebelum ini yang beliau telah mendapat persafahaman lisan dengan ketua polis Rawang berhubung perkara itu.

Khalid bagaimanapun berkata "tidak ada perkara seperti perjanjian lisan".

Sebaliknya, kata beliau, permit mesti secara bertulis dan beliau dimaklumkan oleh ketua polis Rawang bahawa tiada sebarang permohonan dibuat.

Penunggang basikal itu ditahan di balai polis Rawang semalam dan diserahkan kepada ibubapa mereka hari ini.

Yang lainnya yang turut ditahan - termasuk Gan dan Jeyakumar -dibebaskan kira-kira jam 3 pagi tadi.

Mereka bagaimanapun terus berada di situ untuk menemani penunggang basikal bawah umur tersebut.

Kempen ekspedisi berbasikal ke seluruh negara itu dianjurkan oleh Jaringan Rakyat Tertindas (Jerit).

Kumpulan tersebut telah sampai ke peringkat terakhir kayuhan mereka selama 16 hari ke seluruh negara.

Sepanjang tempoh tersebut, mereka berdepan dengan berbagai cabaran dan halangan termasuk ditahan serta beberapa basikal mereka telah dibakar.

Sementara itu, ibu bapa kumpulan pengayuh remaja yang tidak berpuas dengan tindakan polis semalam di Bangi akan membuat aduan di balai Kajang jam 6 petang ini.

--------------------------------------------

JERIT Press Statement 16/12/2008

SELANGOR CPO LYING: JERIT CYCLISTS RIGHTS WERE VIOLATED!

Today the Selangor CPO claimed that he has saved the children from irresponsible people who are exploiting them and misusing them. And that when the children were asked why they are cycling, they did not know. This statement by the CPO is a blatant lie and misleading the public on the actual situation.

1. The claim of the Selangor CPO about saving the children was a lie as the below 18 years old cyclists have parental consent to take part in this cycling campaign. The children actually refused to say anything to the police officers as they did not want cooperate with the police as they are being detained illegally. The children were also were questioned by police whether they were paid to do this. What is the police trying to proof with these kind of questions?
2. JERIT has been responsible in taking care of the cyclists’ welfare since day one. We are not like the CPO who let the children get wet in the rain and then when they tried to find shelter he sent the Light Strike Force to threaten them and intimidate them. They were not given food until 11pm at night and after so much of pressure then only they were give food.
3. The CPO also put the children in the car park and put a yellow tape around them, not allowing them to move around. The children were technically under arrest. Is this how you treat children? Is this how the CPO claims that he is saving the children?
4. The CPO forgot to mention that the children were arrested without the presence of the Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat and the officers from JKM arrived very late at night, As children are not supposed be kept overnight in the police station, but the police kept them there the whole night. How is that for breaking laws?
5. The children also refused to budge to welfare homes as they prefer to be arrested with the JERIT organizers, where some of them were also parents of the under 18 cyclists. The cyclists felt safe with the JERIT organizers rather than with police who continued to intimidate and harass them.
6. Today when the parents arrived in the Police Station, they were not allowed in, and then police insisted on taking statement from each parent before releasing their children. Isn’t this a violation? Why do the parents need to give statement? The parents protested and refused to give statement to police and demanded for their children. The police were causing more trauma and agony to the parents of the children.

JERIT strongly condemns the unlawful action by the Selangor CPO. His actions were inhumane and violated the rights of JERIT cyclists. His statement about saving the children does not fit as he cause a lot of agony and mental torture for the cyclists.

JERIT sternly asks the police to stop the harassment and intimidation of the JERIT cycling team. The police must be neutral and look after the rights of the people and not violate them . The police should not take political sides and do the biddings of the political masters.

JERIT’s campaign is a safe campaign done to highlight the aspiration of the people. So stop lying and harassing the cyclists.

-----------------------------------------------

I just have one thing to add....we should be so thankful that we live in a country that you can get arrested and thrown in jail for your own protection!

What other country offers such "caring protection" from the government?

MALAYSIA BOLEH!!