Some 15 supporters of the Bersih 2.0 electoral reform movement clad in yellow and armed with posters yesterday ‘revisited’ the main marching route on July 9 to commemorate the mass rally for clean and fair elections.

With posters unfurled calling for the authorities to “Release the EO 6 ” and the public to “Walk for Democracy”, they also distributed leaflets advocating the release of the six PSM activists currently under Emergency Ordinance (EO) detention.

Some of them also held the posters of the late Teoh Beng Hock and announced their “Walk for Teoh Beng Hock”.

memoir to 709 walk 230711 02 Although in small number, their yellow costumes - coupled with the matching-colour posters and balloons - created quite a stir at the city centre, attracting the attention of bystanders in the streets and prompting vehicles to honk in support.

Some five police patrol cars and nine motorbikes were deployed to monitor the two-hour march, which was allowed to proceed without a hitch from the law enforcers.

The ‘mini’-march was a tribute to all those who were arrested or failed to enter the city on July 9 due to the clampdown by the police, said one of the conveners of the march, Cheng Fui Lien, 33, ( below )of the Kuala Lumpur-Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH).

memoir to 709 walk 230711 cheng fui lien Almost 1,700 people were arrested on that Saturday more than two weeks ago when an estimated 50,000 people converged on the streets of Kuala Lumpur calling for electoral reforms.

The event on Friday was also aimed at expressing the group’s dissatisfaction with the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the death of Teoh Beng Hock, said Cheng, who said the report was “unconvincing” as an explanation for his death in mid-2009 while in the custody of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

On Thursday, it was disclosed the commission had concluded that Teoh - a former aide to a Selangor exco - had committed suicide following “continuous” and “aggressive” mental stress from prolonged interrogation by MACC officers.

memoir to 709 walk 230711 04 The marchers also took the opportunity to ‘celebrate’ the 58th birthday of the Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak by demanding that he release Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael D Jevaraj and the five other PSM activists, dubbed the ‘PSM Six’.

“Today is the birthday of Najib. We greet him a happy birthday and hope he will release the six unconditionally. Today is already their 22nd day of detention,” said S Nagendren, who is the assistant of Dr Jeyakumar.

The march started from Pasar Seni at 2pm and proceeded along Jalan Petaling and Jalan Pudu, passing Tung Shin Hospital and arrived at Stadium Merdeka, the rally destination that had been cordoned off by police on July 9 to block the passage of the Bersih 2.0 protestors.

At Tung Shin Hospital, Tan Hui Chun from the KLSCAH civil rights committee cited the government’s reluctance to admit the police had violated universal recognition of hospitals as a place of sanctuary in shooting tear gas canisters and water cannons into its compound.

memoir to 709 walk 230711 01 “I have submitted the video evidence to the Bersih 2.0 steering committee to follow up on this matter,” Tan told Malaysiakini .  

The authorities had denied tear gas canisters and water cannon had been deployed against the protestors within the Tung Shin and Maternity hosptials.

Malaysiakini columnist Josh Hong, who was part of the group, insisted that mounting evidence contradicting the police denials have been published on the Internet, and showed the police’ excessive violence against protestors on that day.

“The public have too much evidence (against the police). It is undeniable,” he stressed.

Since the police claim have their own evidence backing assertions that there was no abuse of power on the part of the law enforcement bodies, the government should form an independent body to probe the matter.