KUALA LUMPUR: "Drama" went down in front of the Dang Wangi police headquarters as policemen arrested two activists.
Suaram coordinator Syukri Razab was detained by two officers at the entrance of the station and hauled into a van in front of the media and other human rights activists including Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, Adam Adli and Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) members Eric Paulsen and Latheefa Koya.
Syukri and Adam were here to meet the Dang Wangi police over their plans to stage a protest outside Sogo shopping centre to call for the Prime Minister’s resignation.
Ambiga and LFL were also present on a separate matter after police summoned her to be questioned for allegedly making threatening remarks on street protests.
Syukri was stunned as officers held his arms and carried him back into the station.
The activists and media rushed to the gate to see what was happening, but the sliding gate was closed to the cameras at about 4pm, Friday.
Lawyer Latheefa Koya said officers handling Syukri said they have been ordered to detain him over a sedition offence.
"This had nothing to do with the meeting they had of the rally. We have been told that he would be brought to the Brickfields police headquarters,” she added.
Minutes later, The Star saw police officers running towards Adam's car as he was about to get in and arrested the student activist.
Kuala Lumpur CID chief Senior Asst Comm Datuk Zainuddin Ahmad declined to comment on the arrests, saying that police would only furnish the public with information on Saturday.
Separately, Bersih chairman Maria Chin Abdullah said that one of its steering committee members Mandeep Singh has been summoned for questioning at the Petaling Jaya police headquarters.