Cops raid Bersih office

(The Malaysian Insider) – Police officers today raided the Bersih 2.0 office in Petaling Jaya, according to steering committee member Maria Chin Abdullah.

She told reporters here in Parliament that 20 policemen were currently raiding the premises, and claimed that a search warrant was not issued prior to the raid.

“Police raided the office at about 12pm, without a warrant. They are now at the office taking details of the staff,” said Maria.

The Bersih secretariat also doubles as the Empower office. Empower is a non-governmental organisation that is part of the Bersih coalition pushing for free and fair elections.

Cemme Lee, a member of the Bersih 2.0 secretariat, said the police earlier entered the Empower office without a warrant.

“They threatened to cut our locks,” Lee, who is currently in Empower’s office building, told The Malaysian Insider today.

“They’re taking down details of our ICs… they took our video cameras,” she said, adding that there were six Empower staff members and a volunteer in the office presently.

Lee said there were 15 police officers within the premises, but did not know how many were outside the building located in Section 4, Petaling Jaya.

She added that the police are refusing to specify the purpose of their search.

“They said they’re here to check… they’re counting Bersih shirts right now,” she said.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein earlier today declared Bersih T-shirts “illegal” by association with the unsanctioned July 9 rally.

Lawyers for Liberty co-ordinator Fadiah Nadwa Fikri told The Malaysian Insider that she was on her way to the Empower office.