Tian Chua, Rafizi in remand but rally to go on
Rally organisers undeterred by wave of arrests, vow to ‘celebrate’ wedding of PM’s daughter
(Free Malaysia Today) – The MP for Batu, Tian Chua of PKR, was arrested this morning and remanded for three days over the KitaLawan street rally planned for this afternoon, hours after PAS deputy president Mohammad Sabu was arrested in Penang while en route.
About a dozen people have been arrested as police warned the public not to take part in the KitaLawan rally. Organisers, however, said the march would go on.
Yesterday PKR secretary-general Rafizi Ramli was arrested after making a statement calling for a full turnout this afternoon. PKR said today he was being remanded for three days, and so, too, activist Hishammiddin Rais who was arrested near Dataran Merdeka while walking there to attend a protest against the Goods and Services Tax.
Tian Chua’s arrest was his second in a week in connection with KitaLawan. He was freed last week when police were denied a remand order.
This morning he posted on Twitter that 20 policemen came for him after a constituency event at Kampung Batu Muda community hall, where he had held a public dialogue together with the mayor of Kuala Lumpur and Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.
Tian Chua was to have been among Pakatan Rakyat politicians leading the KitaLawan protest march from Sogo shopping centre to Kuala Lumpur City Centre mall where a reception is being held tonight to mark the marriage of the daughter of the prime minister.
KitaLawan organisers had previously said they planned to “gatecrash” the reception at 8pm.
