Press groups demand immediate investigation into attacks on journalists

KUALA LUMPUR, Mon: Media groups are demanding an immediate probe into the police attacks on media personnel covering Saturday's Bersih 3.0 rally.
In a joint statement on Sunday, six media groups - the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) Malaysia, Charter 2000-Aliran, Journalists Union of North Malaya, Penang Chinese Media Journalist and Photographers Association (PEWAJU), Penang Press Club and the Penang Press Employees Cooperative Society Limited - urged Prime Minister Najib Razak to conduct a thorough and swift investigation, and charge those responsible.
Nine journalists and photographers were named in the statement as having been attacked or arrested by police.
They are:
   * Radzi Razak, a journalist with theSun. (He was admitted into hospital on Saturday due to injuries suffered during an alleged attack by at least seven police personnel).
    * Arif Kartono, a photographer with English newspaper Malay Mail, who alleged being assaulted by six uniformed police personnel and had his camera smashed.
    * Koh Jun Lin, a photojournalist with Malaysiakini who was arrested after taking photographs which document alleged police violence against protestors. Koh's camera and memory card were also confiscated.
    * P. Malayandy, a photographer with Tamil newspaper Makkal Osai, who was allegedly assaulted by five policemen for taking pictures of police detaining protesters.
    * Al Jazeera correspondent Harry Fawcett who alleged police violence when his crew was documenting arrests and ill-treatment of protestors. Fawcett and colleagues were reportedly shoved and held, and their camera damaged during the incident.
    * Huang An Jian, a photographer with Mandarin newspaper Guang Ming Daily, who was arrested while taking photographs of the arrest of protesters and alleged police assault.
    * Channel News Asia video cameraperson Kenny Lew who alleged being punched by police, and had his tripod seized.
    * Chen Shaua Fui, assistant editor of Mandarin news site Merdeka Review, who claimed rough handling by four policemen who tried to snatch her camera.
    * Lisa J. Ariffin, a journalist from news site Malaysian Insider who was reportedly hit by a tear gas canister aimed at the crowd.
The groups also asked that compensation be given to those whose equipment had been deliberately damaged.
"The Prime Minister must also adopt firm measures to ensure all uniformed personnel understand and respect the role of journalists. Like the police, journalists have a public duty to perform and they should be afforded protection towards this end," they said.
They also drew similarities between what transpired on Saturday with the action taken against Occupy Dataran student activists.
"Among those targeted were those activists wielding cameras or smart phones, ostensibly in a bid to thwart any attempt to document the violence and identify the perpetrators, leading up to the Bersih rally."
"Our organisations view these incidents as a concerted attack on media freedom since they appear to be aimed at preventing professional journalistic documentation of alleged police violence against some of the Bersih protesters."
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) too echoed these sentiments, demanding an explaination from the Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar.
In a separate statement, its general-secretary V. Anbalagan said the police 'have no business to use violence on media workers who were assigned to carry out a public duty'.
While accepting that the role of the police is to maintain public order, the NUJ made a strong statement that high-handedness against media workers would not be tolerated.
"At the rally, reporters, photographers and cameramen could be identifed as they were wearing Press tags. Then why target them when the relationship between the police and the media in the past has been good?" he said.
Anbalagan demanded that the Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar give an explaination immediately as to why pressmen, who were easily identifiable with press tags, were brutalised.
He also called on all media personnel who sustained injuries, had their property destroyed or seized by the police to lodge reports and give a clearer picture of what transpired.