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17 arrested at Malaysia student demo
Agence France Presse - January 1, 2012
Prime Minister Najib Razak has pledged to allow greater civil liberties, announcing reforms to security laws slammed as undemocratic, but critics insist he is backtracking on his pledges.
Opposition lawyer and activist North Surendran said police "brutally" broke up a gathering outside a university in northern Perak state early Sunday, adding that one person was taken to hospital after being kicked by officers.
Dozens of students had gathered at about midnight as part of their campaign for greater academic freedom, such as the abolition of a law that bars them from joining or supporting political parties. They also want university lecturers to be able to express their opinions freely without fear of censure.
"We are quite shocked by the degree of violence," Surendran told AFP. "There is no doubt that instructions... were given to intimidate the students and stop the student movement."
State police chief Mohamad Shukri Dahlan was quoted by the Star online as saying that students had failed to adhere to police instructions to disperse and then resisted arrest. "We took necessary action to uphold public safety," he was quoted as saying.
In late November, parliament passed a law as part of a campaign to soften tough rules on security, free speech and gatherings. The assembly law replaces legislation that required a police permit for public gatherings, but critics complain it contains a range of new restrictions including an outright ban on street marches.
Hundreds have protested against the law, saying it is more restrictive than the police permit scheme. Najib has also promised to reverse the 40-year-old student politics ban, but added that political activities would remain banned on campuses, raising fears the pledge is an election ploy ahead of polls expected soon.
Nalini Elumalai, a representative of local human rights group Suaram, said the action against the students validated fears that police will continue to clamp down on peaceful gatherings. "Najib and his government have failed to show that they are making genuine reforms in Malaysia," she told AFP.
On Friday, more than 10 opposition supporters were arrested in northern Kelantan state for allegedly distributing leaflets defamatory of Najib and his wife in linking them to the sodomy case against opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar has denied having had sex with a male former aide, a crime in the Muslim-majority country, and said the charge against him was cooked up by the government to ruin his political career. The verdict is set for January 9.
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