Malaysian right-wing activist arrested over death threats against mass rally organiser
Malaysian National Police Chief Khalid Abu Bakar. Pic: AP.
POLICE in Malaysia have arrested a right-wing activist for allegedly making death threats against the organiser of a planned rally to call for Prime Minister Najib Razak’s resignation.
Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said Mohd Ali Baharom – or “Ali Tinju” as he is more commonly known – was detained by police after allegedly threatening the life of the Coalition of Clean and Far Elections (Bersih 2.0) chairman Maria Chin Abdullah.
Khalid said Ali Tinju’s arrest was proof that the police did not practice double standards as various netizens and opposition leaders had earlier claimed.
Ali Tinju must be arrested nowhttp://www.malaysiakini.com/news/355783#.V9oxXL2L0Mg.twitter …
Khalid was referring to the arrest of opposition lawmaker Jeff Ooi from the Democratic Action Party who was arrested recently over a Twitter posting for insulting religious sentiments following the death of prominent Islamic leader Haron Din, of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic party, over the weekend.
“We have already arrested Ali Tinju. He is currently free on bail now. Same like Jeff Ooi. There is no double standard,” Khalid said during a news conference, as quoted by the Malay Mail Online.
“He had surrendered himself and was investigated and has been released after,” he added.
Ali Tinju’s arrest came after a local online news portal reported him saying that he planned to “ambush” Chin.
I hope Ali Tinju truly spends some time to reflect on his actions and realizes he has been bullying and threatening women ineffectively
“I will ambush her in the near future. Even if I have to spend 10 years in prison, I don’t mind.
“Wait and see. She won’t feel peace and even with 10 or 20 bodyguards, we will whip them,” he was quoted as saying by Free Malaysia Today on Sept 14.
“She has to remember. I’m worried she may no longer walk on this earth. These are the words of a former soldier.
“Don’t challenge us or we will make it so that her legs point upwards and her head points downward to the ground,” he went on to say.
Several opposition figures and civil society groups denounced Ali Tinju’s threats with some lodging police reports calling on authorities to take action.
Khalid said Ali Tinju, a former soldier, is being investigated for criminal intimidation.
Anti-government dissidents in Malaysia have been campaigning long and hard against Najib, who they believe is involved in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) corruption scandal.
Chin is a main organiser of the mass anti-Najib demonstration, dubbed Bersih 5 to denote the fifth edition of the electoral watchdog’s street rally, which is expected to be held on Nov 19. Protestors of the Bersih protests typically don yellow shirts during the rallies.
Following the anno
