Police arrest 163 youths at Bersih concert countdown in Ampang

Some 163 youths, including a photographer from The Malaysian Insider, were detained by the police last night while watching a Bersih music countdown concert at a venue in Ampang Jaya. According to one of those detained, Aizuddin Ismail, everyone was brought to the Ampang Jaya police station to have their statements recorded. "Police raided Rumah Api during a performance at about 11.15pm," he said. The 50 officers who conducted the arrests did not state the reasons behind the raid, he said. The Malaysian Insider photographer Seth Akmal was among those detained. Seth said they were watching a band performance when the police raided the place. He said they were all brought to the Ampang station where their urine samples and statements were taken. “The police are now applying for remand,” he said, adding that none of them had been released. Meanwhile, Aizuddin they were still being detained at the police station and had yet to be informed if they would be released. "Police have taken our statements since 4am and we are now waiting for our turns to be questioned," he said. The fourth Bersih rally starts today, as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is under pressure to account for an alleged financial scandal involving Finance Ministry-owned 1Malaysia Development Bhd, as well as a RM2.6 billion political donation that went into his personal bank accounts. Participants of the rally in Kuala Lumpur are planning to meet at five locations across the city before converging on the streets around Dataran Merdeka, where they plan to stage an overnight camp-out. Similar gatherings will be held in Kuching and Kota Kinabalu. Police have declared the rally illegal, but lawyers say there is no law to stop people from gathering peacefully. – August 29, 2015.