DBKL confiscate Dataran tents, 2 arrested

 

Two men were arrested this morning when the Kuala Lumpur City Council (DBKL) and police raided their protest camp at Dataran Merdeka, the iconic public square in the city centre.

According to eyewitness and supporter Wong Tay Sy, 27, a huge contingent of DBKL and police officers surrounded the campsite, seized the tents and loaded them into a City Hall truck at about 8 am.

"They waited for us to wake up and took away 61 out of 62 of our tents. We are only left with food, drinks and a recycled bunting,” she told Malaysiakini. “Only one or two of the police were in uniform.”
The 40 DBKL and police personnel were more than doubled the number of protesters, said Wong, who has been camping there since Friday night.

She said that the two arrested - social activist Fahmi Reza and student Umar Mohd Azmi - were "dragged into an unmarked van" by about two or three men each.

"Fahmi kept on asking if he was arrested but they did not answer. He is now at the Dang Wangi police station," she said, adding that the operation was over in 10 minutes.

Two protestors have gone to the station to check on their friends while the rest have collectively decided to stay put at Dataran.

"We are appealing for more people to join us and help us with supplies," she said.

Day 8 of Dataran occupation

This is the eighth day of the student protest for free education. They share the space with the Occupy Dataran movement - a movement to reclaim public spaces.

The students, who are demanding the abolition of PTPTN (Higher Education Loan Fund), as well as the Occupy Dataran activists, decamped yesterday to make way for a royal concert held in Dataran last night.

While the Occupy Dataran activists re-established their camp late last night after the concert, the students are expected to return today.

[More to follow]