Army chief warns may step in
Published on: Friday, August 28, 2015
Kuala Lumpur: The Armed Forces said Thursday it will step in should the Bersih4 rally turn chaotic, fearing a repeat of Bangkok's August 17 Erawan Shrine bombing in Malaysia.Armed Forces chief General Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin said it would intervene in the planned mass gathering this weekend, if a state of emergency is declared by Putrajaya."We worry if rallies like these turn into states of emergency due to certain reasons. What happened in the Thailand bombing—there are people who take advantage of the situation … This is what we worry about.
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"There are many factors that could turn a rally, however peaceful, chaotic," he told reporters at the Defence Ministry.Despite that, Zulkifeli said the current situation has not called for ATM's involvement just yet."If the situation is categorised as a threat to public order, we will take over the role of the police in containing the situation."The announcement came after Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed warned the public earlier of a purported "anarchist" group, whom he said might provoke the police into using force against participants of the rally.
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On Tuesday, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Noor Rashid Ibrahim denied taser-like stun guns will be used against potential lawbreakers at this weekend's rally, but admitted that the authorities are already equipped and trained to use such a weapon.Noor Rashid was quoted by Chinese paper on Monday as saying the police might use tasers to neutralise participants at the Bersih 4 rally if the situation warranted it.
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