Ambiga and three others released

KUALA LUMPUR: Negara-ku patron Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan has been released after being detained overnight at the Dang Wangi police headquarters over the anti-Goods and Services Tax (GST) rally.

Also released were DAP national organising secretary Anthony Loke, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) secretary-general S. Arutchelvan and PAS central committee member Dr Hatta Ramli.

Speaking to reporters, lawyer Gobind Singh Deo said the magistrate’s court here had rejected a police application to remand them for four days.

Free to go: Ambiga (left) and Loke were earlier arrested over an anti-GST rally.

“The application was refused on grounds that the people involved were prepared to cooperate and surrendered when the police called, so there is no need for them to be held in custody pending investigation,” he added.

Gobind said that the four later went back to the Dang Wangi police headquarters to have their statements recorded.

Loke and Arutchelvan were detained overnight at the Jinjang central lockup, while Ambiga and Hatta were transported from the Dang Wangi police headquarters to the facility at about 11.40am yesterday. All four were released at about 3pm.

Yesterday, both PKR secretary-general Rafizi Ramli and activist Hishamuddin Rais were arrested over the same rally.

Rafizi was detained after turning up at the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters to “give his cooperation”, while Hishamuddin was arrested at his house.

Both men were brought to the Dang Wangi police headquarters.

City CID chief Senior Asst Comm Zainuddin Ahmad said Rafizi was arrested for unlawful assembly under Section 143 of the Penal Code, adding that both men would have their remand hearing today.

In Bukit Mertajam, Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the Government should not be blamed for taking action against certain participants as police surveillance and intelligence showed that some of them – whom he described as anarchists – had turned unruly.

“The police had held discussions with them and even offered Padang Merbok as an alternative but they remained stubborn, especially the anarchist group.

“We need to take action against them as they tried to paint a bad picture of the country,” he told reporters after a session with Rela members of Central Seberang Prai at Politeknik Seberang Prai.