Penang police to continue sweep on remaining PPS members

GEORGE TOWN: Penang police will continue its sweep on the remaining Penang Voluntary Patrol (PPS) members who have yet to be picked up.

Its police chief Senior Deputy Comm Datuk Wira Abdul Rahim Hanafi said it would be a continuous effort in their blitz against PPS, which was not registered with the Registrar of Societies (ROS).

“We will take further action against the remaining PPS members. Please surrender yourself.

“We will move in on stages. It is strictly on legal ground. It has nothing to do with politics.

“We already have records from 30% of the 9,000 odd PPS members,” he said during a press conference at George Town district police headquarters Monday.

The controversy surrounding the PPS unit came to a head on Sunday following the arrest of 156 members, including their chairman, state executive councillor Phee Boon Poh, after a Merdeka procession at the Esplanade.

The PPS members, including seven women, who took part in the state-level procession earlier, were escorted on foot to the Beach Street police station around 10.10am.

They were walking near the state legislative assembly in Light Street when about 50 policemen surrounded them.

They were arrested under Section 41 of the Societies Act.

It is learnt that PPS had taken part in the Merdeka procession since it was set up in 2011.

At the press conference, SDCP Rahim said 11 of the 156 PPS members detained had previous criminal records for theft, robbery, attempted murder, drug-related and triad-related offences.

He said one of them was believed to have links with triad activities as he was previously detained under the Emergency Ordinance 1969.

He added that four of them were also tested positive for drugs.

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