No more nightly vigils for Anwar at Sungai Buloh, says Tian Chua

(Malay Mail Online) – The candlelight vigils outside Sungai Buloh Prison that were initially planned to be held nightly until Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is freed will end after tonight, PKR’s Chuan Tian Chang said today.

The PKR vice president claimed this was on the instructions from the jailed opposition leader, whom he said wanted the movement to extend beyond seeking his freedom.

“(Anwar) appreciates our presence at the vigils,” Tian Chua told reporters outside PKR headquarters at Tropicana today.

“But at the same time our struggle is much bigger, and the battlefield has to be beyond the front of the prison, and he has advised us to move on.”

The PKR leader commonly known as Tian Chua said they will hold one final vigil tonight, before reducing this to fortnightly gatherings.

Instead, Chua said the party will divert efforts towards holding more rallies such as tomorrow’s #KitaLawan protest in Kuala Lumpur.

During the first such event, Chua said Anwar’s supporters will assemble every night outside the gates of the Sungai Buloh Prison until the latter gains his freedom

“Every night we will be here to show our solidarity… Until justice prevails,” he said on February 11.

“Don’t we let this candle, this fire be extinguished even with violence and oppression and anything. We will always be loyal to our friend.”

Starting with the 200 who gathered for the first day, the nightly gatherings have gradually become smaller over the days. Fewer than 100 were present last night.

On February 10, the Federal Court upheld the Court of Appeal’s 2014 ruling that reversed Anwar’s acquittal of sodomising former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, and sentenced the Permatang Pauh lawmaker to five years’ jail.