KK cops arrest nine people for not having identification at water protest

KOTA KINABALU: Nine people who joined a demonstration to protest Sabah’s water woes were arrested for not having identification documents earlier on Friday (June 14).

The nine individuals had earlier participated in a march by Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) students to Menara Kinabalu, the state administrative building in Likas, here at about 2.30pm.

Kota Kinabalu police chief Asst Comm Kasim Muda said police detained the nine people after screening for their identification documents.

“We made a check after a group of them boarded a van to leave the place and found nine without identification documents,” he said when contacted.

"They have been brought to the station and undergoing a documentation process again,” he added.

The peaceful protest, dubbed #KamiMahuAir, was organised by UMS students who wanted the state government to hear their voices, as well as Sabahans’ in general, over the lingering water supply problem plaguing various parts of the state, including their campus here.

The students, joined by some community members and NGOs, wanted to meet Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor in person to pass a memorandum demanding immediate solutions to the water issue.