By Shannon Teoh and Melissa Chi
July 02, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 — Police have re-arrested Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar and five other Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) members for 60 days under the Emergency Ordinance, which allows for detention without trial.
The six were due in the Butterworth courts this morning as a seven-day remand order had expired after their arrest for promoting the Bersih rally last week.
It is understood that the six have been sent to the Bukit Aman federal police headquarters.
Twenty-four others held with them were brought to the courts today. They are being represented by senior lawyer Sulaiman Abdullah, a former Bar Council president.
Police have arrested more than 100 people this past week in connection with the Bersih rally, declaring its yellow T-shirt illegal.
The latest to be arrested was Selangor exco member Ronnie Liu last night.
PSM secretary-general S. Arutchelvan told The Malaysian Insider that the six individuals were immediately re-arrested following their release from the Kepala Batas police station earlier today, and claimed they are being held on “fabricated charges”.
“This is a Bersih clampdown. I think the arrest of the six shows that this is the consequences for people doing a normal campaign. This is how the government uses this draconian law,” he said.
He said several lawyers have volunteered to file habeas corpus writs on behalf of the detainees, with some already waiting at the Bukit Aman police headquarters.
On its website, PSM also listed the litany of allegations arrayed against its member, holding these as evidence the police were being used as a political tool by the government. These ranged from minor infractions such illegal assembly to allegations as grave as “waging war against the King”.
“These highly inconsistent charges only go out to show mala-fide behind the arrests and subsequent detention of the PSM political activists,” it said.
The party then demanded the unconditional release of all its arrested members