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A
coffee shop owner in Temerloh says he has been intimidated by local MCA
leaders, who threatened that his business licence will be revoked
because he hosted participants of Himpunan Hijau's 'long march' last
Friday.
However, the owner, who would only identify himself as Ho, has won the support of Kuantan Parade Traders' Association chairperson JK Pang, who condemned the intimidation as "action to appease the higher authorities".
Ho told Sin Chew Daily that after participants of the anti-Lynas refinery plant march had their meals at his coffee shop, for which they paid, a local MCA leader with the surname 'Kuok' came to his shop and warned him that his operating licence would be revoked.
This threat was followed by a phone call from another local MCA leader, going by the surname 'Ng', who said a police special branch officer had asked whether Ho was a supporter of the opposition.
Ho slammed the two MCA leaders for victimising him and argued that it was his right to conduct business from his premises.
Pang, in a statement issued yesterday, said the march is a non-partisan civil movement to overturn the government's erroneous policies.
He called on members of the public to support Ho by patronising his coffee shop.
The 12-day 300km march from Kuantan to Kuala Lumpur entered its seventh day today. The participants are scheduled to reach Karak this evening.
It is led by Himpunan Hijau chairperson Wong Tack to pressure the government to shut down the Lynas rare earth plant, which is due to start operations soon.
The march, which began last Tuesday, reached its apex yesterday, with with some 500 people from all over the country joining in during the weekend, forming a 750-metre-long line on the road.
Of them, 30 participants, including Wong, have marched for six days or 150km from the start and are still ebullient and in good health, despite sore feet and legs.
Their spokesperson, Wong Chun Yuan, told Malaysiakini that yesterday's 20km journey starting at 7.30am was smooth and without rain.
"Maybe everybody is in high spirits because we have the highest number of participants today," Chun Yuan said when contacted, adding that a volunteer Chinese traditional doctor is assisting the participants along the march.
"Some people left the march after joining for a certain distance as they have to work, but they came back after a few days. They come and leave. There have been new participants along the march."
Sarawakians march to protest dam building
Some indigenous people from Sarawak left the march today to attend another march in Kuala Lumpur to submit a memorandum to the prime minister to demand the scrapping of 12 mega dams in their state.
Members of the Bukit Koman Anti-Cyanide Committee also joined the march on Saturday.
A young woman from Kuala Lumpur was among the new participants yesterday. Calling herself April, she said she joined the march earlier than she had planned because she would be busy organising her wedding by the time the group reached the federal capital.
Several PKR leaders, including Selangor exco member Elizabeth Wong, Selayang MP William Leong and PKR Youth information chief Lee Khai Loon joined the marchers yesterday evening as they attended PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim's ceramah in Mentakab.
According to Chun Yuan, three cars are accompanying the marchers to provide logistical support, such as food, drinks, tents and other supplies, or to carry exhausted participants.
Another car is a 'media car', equipped with multimedia devices to upload on the Internet the latest information on the march.
However, the owner, who would only identify himself as Ho, has won the support of Kuantan Parade Traders' Association chairperson JK Pang, who condemned the intimidation as "action to appease the higher authorities".
Ho told Sin Chew Daily that after participants of the anti-Lynas refinery plant march had their meals at his coffee shop, for which they paid, a local MCA leader with the surname 'Kuok' came to his shop and warned him that his operating licence would be revoked.
This threat was followed by a phone call from another local MCA leader, going by the surname 'Ng', who said a police special branch officer had asked whether Ho was a supporter of the opposition.
Ho slammed the two MCA leaders for victimising him and argued that it was his right to conduct business from his premises.
Pang, in a statement issued yesterday, said the march is a non-partisan civil movement to overturn the government's erroneous policies.
He called on members of the public to support Ho by patronising his coffee shop.
The 12-day 300km march from Kuantan to Kuala Lumpur entered its seventh day today. The participants are scheduled to reach Karak this evening.
It is led by Himpunan Hijau chairperson Wong Tack to pressure the government to shut down the Lynas rare earth plant, which is due to start operations soon.
The march, which began last Tuesday, reached its apex yesterday, with with some 500 people from all over the country joining in during the weekend, forming a 750-metre-long line on the road.
Of them, 30 participants, including Wong, have marched for six days or 150km from the start and are still ebullient and in good health, despite sore feet and legs.
Their spokesperson, Wong Chun Yuan, told Malaysiakini that yesterday's 20km journey starting at 7.30am was smooth and without rain.
"Maybe everybody is in high spirits because we have the highest number of participants today," Chun Yuan said when contacted, adding that a volunteer Chinese traditional doctor is assisting the participants along the march.
"Some people left the march after joining for a certain distance as they have to work, but they came back after a few days. They come and leave. There have been new participants along the march."
Sarawakians march to protest dam building
Some indigenous people from Sarawak left the march today to attend another march in Kuala Lumpur to submit a memorandum to the prime minister to demand the scrapping of 12 mega dams in their state.
Members of the Bukit Koman Anti-Cyanide Committee also joined the march on Saturday.
A young woman from Kuala Lumpur was among the new participants yesterday. Calling herself April, she said she joined the march earlier than she had planned because she would be busy organising her wedding by the time the group reached the federal capital.
Several PKR leaders, including Selangor exco member Elizabeth Wong, Selayang MP William Leong and PKR Youth information chief Lee Khai Loon joined the marchers yesterday evening as they attended PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim's ceramah in Mentakab.
According to Chun Yuan, three cars are accompanying the marchers to provide logistical support, such as food, drinks, tents and other supplies, or to carry exhausted participants.
Another car is a 'media car', equipped with multimedia devices to upload on the Internet the latest information on the march.
Good stuff bro
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