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Despite video evidence, Selangor police chief Khalid Abu Bakar has denied that the police moved in on participants at a candlelight vigil last night while they were singing the national anthem.

"That is what they (participants) are claiming," Khalid told reporters at the Petaling Jaya police district headquarters about midnight.

When told that there was a video recording of the police action, Khalid replied: “I am denying it.”

He had been asked to comment on the arrest of 23 individuals, including Malaysiakini videographer Syukri Mohamad and a Catholic priest, in front of the Petaling Jaya civic centre.

The police have confiscated Malaysiakini video camera as well as footages of the arrests.

All, except one, were released at 7am today on police bail. They are required to report to the PJ district police station on Nov 24.

The vigil was nearing the end but riot police broke up the gathering while some 300 people were singing the national anthem with the intention of dispersing immediately after.

Following this, crowd members, including many senior citizens and women, were chased from the venue. Some of them suffered injuries while running away.

Asked why Syukri had been detained when he was on duty, Khalid said, “He was part of the illegal gathering.”

Khalid explained that a group wearing ‘Bersih’ and ‘RPK’ T-shirts had allegedly gathered illegally opposite the Amcorp Mall shopping centre.

“After repeated warnings by the police, the group was still degil (stubborn) and walked to a different area until 9.45pm when they gathered in front of MBPJ (Petaling Jaya City Council).

“They were asked to disperse and the police arrested a few people. Among them was (Selangor exco member) Ronnie Liu and two elected reps,” he said.

The two were Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua and Kampung Tunku state assemblyperson Lau Weng San.

Khalid confirmed that Liu was arrested at the Petaling Jaya district police headquarters where he had gone to assist the detainees.

According to Khalid, a group had been gathering at the field opposite Amcorp Mall for four consecutive weeks and have not heeded police demands to apply for a permit.

“We have given them enough warnings,” he said.

Asked if the group had posed a danger to the public, Khalid replied “That doesn’t matter. The law says that a permit must be obtained.”

Asked if this amounted to double standards, since no action had been taken against pro-government groups such as those protesting against the appointment of a non-Malay to head PKNS (Selangor government investment arm).

Khalid denied this, and reiterated that the group had failed to heed demands to obtain a police permit for four weeks.

Previous candlelight vigils had been held by small groups of activists, many of whom were individuals who had attended Sunday mass.

These were symbolic protests against the Internal Security Act (ISA), which allows detention without trial.

Similar vigils have been held nationwide, especially in Penang, since blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin, Selangor state exco Teresa Kok and Sin Chew Daily journalist Tan Hoon Cheng were detained under the ISA on Sept 12. They have since been released.

Last night’s vigil saw the presence of Bersih activists, a pressure group for clean and fair elections, to commemorate the first anniversary of their mass rally on Nov 10 last year.

Questions over selective actions

Meanwhile in an immediate reaction, the Bar Council said that the police action against the 23 merely showed that "freedom of assembly and freedom of expression were again dealt a severe blow".

The council said that it was alarmed at the disproportionate and heavy-handed approach adopted by the police.

"Unprovoked intimidation and oppression is unjustifiable as the group was reportedly calm, did not pose any threat to public order and was merely exercising its democratic rights," said the Bar's vice-president Ragunath Kesavan in a statement today.

He also noted that the council was concerned that the authorities seem to be using the laws selectively to disperse and arrests demonstrators.

‘Several demonstrations against the Pakatan Rakyat governments' policies in Penang and Selangor have proceeded without much harassment nor arrests by the police," he said.

"We call on the police to protect the rights of speech, expression and assembly of all those who legitimately engage in expressing dissent, fairly and without bias," he added.