20,000 army veterans to shield ‘red shirt’ rally goers, says leader
(The Malaysian Insider) – About 20,000 Malay army veterans will be flooding the streets of Kuala Lumpur tomorrow to help keep the peace and shield “red shirt” rally goers from any provocation, said group leader and activist Mohamad Ali Baharom or better known as Ali Tinju.
Speaking to the media in Jalan Conlay today, Ali said the group of 20,000 would be congregating tonight at an undisclosed location in the city, which he called the “fifth checkpoint” that was only known to those in the group.
There are four meeting points agreed upon between rally organiser Pesaka (National Silat Federation) and the police.
“This is our right. We do not want to listen to police,” said Ali.
He said they would not resort to any violence unless provoked.
Ali is not a stranger to controversy. He was arrested by police in July and charged under the Sedition Act for a “racist” speech made during the Low Yat fracas. He was also among those who performed the “butt dance” in front of activist Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan’s house after the Bersih 3 rally in 2013.
Ali said the army veterans were strong supporters of the gathering organised by Pesaka at Padang Merbok.
