Two injured as rival camps protest outside state assembly

(The Star) – KOTA BARU: Morning traffic came to a crawl as two groups protested in the middle of a busy street outside the Kota Darul Naim state government complex here Tuesday.

Two men, one from each group, ended up fighting. After a 10-minute fist fight, they had swells and bruises to show on their body as well as bleeding faces and heads.

The fight stopped only when Kelantan People’s Action Council (MTRK) president Che Azmi Mohd Ali pulled the two men apart.

Earlier, one group, said to be aligned to Umno, had gathered outside the building to protest against an alleged misappropriation of millions of ringgit by state-owned Air Kelantan Sdn Bhd (AKSB).

Not long after that, a group of demonstrators from the Persatuan Anak Melayu Kelantan, said to be linked to PAS, came along to demand that the Federal government restore oil royalty rights to the state.

The MTRK group tried to enter the government complex to hand over a protest note to Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat but was allegedly stopped by the other group.

By 10am both sides had become rowdy and started throwing missiles of gas bombs and mineral bottles at each other.

In the midst of the chaos, the two men broke away from their respective groups and started trading blows.

Kota Baru OCPD Asst Comm Azham Othman said the street fight was just a small misunderstanding’ between two men.

“We deployed 30 officers in the area of the state government building and to ensure a smooth flow of traffic.

“Both groups had agreed to follow the rules we had set,” he said.