Bersih march to Istana Negara: What really happened Part 3
After the first tear gas and water canon spray were fired towards the crowds in front of the LRT Masjid Jamek, the people had to escape using the back lane leading towards Masjid Jamek. As you can see in this video, everyone was suffering from the effect ot the tear gas and the chemically-laced water from the red truck. Those who were more prepared came with some clothing to cover their mouths and noses preventing them from directly breathing and inhaling the gas. But the eyes had to work extra hard as there were no ways these poor people could run with their eyes covered or blindfolded.
Upon reaching Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman on the way to Jalan Raja Laut, I saw a few young chaps nicely dressed in black suits….. they must be from the Bar Councils who were supposed to monitor the proceedings. All were recording the march with their cameras. Poor these guys too.. their good looking black suits were all soaking wet.. just as wet as the marchers.
While the crowds were walking behind the buildings along Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman on their way towards Jalan Raja Laut, I could see more tear gas shot in the air and chemical water were being sprayed towards the people who were already there much earlier. Chaos erupted again as men and women ran for shelters. By this time, the crowd who were trying to enter Jalan Raja Laut from behind Wisma Bandar changed their course towards KWSP building using the road just behind the carpet stores along jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman.
During this run, I saw a lot of people just could not stand the tear gas…. eyes were tearful yet again despite the rain. Breathing were hard to catch, not while you were running and suffering from suffocation due to tear gas all at the same time. Such is the price the people had to pay just for demanding a free and fair election in this country called Malaysia, more famously known as Bolehland.
Just as I was approaching the KWSP building, I saw one young man was holding a fresh packet of salts, handing out to the crowds. Despite the tear gas, he was just standing there with his mouth and nose covered trying to hand out the salts to as much people as possible.
In front of me, I saw people were squatting to fetch water from the water pods on the road, and water accumumulating around the trees planted by the city hall…. to wash their tearful eyes and stinging faces. The rain by this time was not as heavy when the crowds that I was part of were near the Masjid Jamek.
Dr Hatta had stopped and re-gathered the loyal crowds right in front of the bank next to KWSP building. Across the road, people were taking covers under the KTM overbridge crossing towards Bank negara train station and many other buildings surounding the area. Mind you just less than 200m infront of the crowd, red trucks with dozens of red hat policemen were waiting for their next order to march towards the crowd.
And the march order sure did come by finally… you saw in the video people had once again ran for their lives. I was taking parts of this video from the foyer of the KWSP building and waited several moments more before the water canon came closer and the tear gas effect started to become unbearable.
The next few seconds of the video footage was taken while I was running towards Sogo (no I was not running backward…. I had to run as fast as I can because I had waited a little longer before) and the camera was aimed backwards towards the riot police over my head…. that’s why you saw the shots were, to say the least, in complete disarray amids total chaos.
At that very moment, I started to think about my loved ones at home. I took out my mobile phone (that I had wrapped around a plastic bag to prevent water seeping into the hand phone), just to see if I had any miss call or SMS from my wife, but there was none. Earlier that morning before I left, I had jokingly told her that should I not return home safely by end of the day, she should know where I could have been and had asked her to make a few phone calls to a few people that might know of my where abouts. Thanks to Allah Almighty, I came back home safe and sound… I could see the happy face of my wife when she saw me arrived home safely. She had told me that she was very worried about me after seeing what was reported in the television and had prayed for my safety during her Asar prayer…. thank you dear for your prayer…. Allah had answered your prayer and millions of other Malaysians prayers as well that the march finally ended well…. although I had later learnt that there were few arrests among those who participated in the march. I also learnt there were a few casualty as well among the local and international journalists.
The crowds and I, mind you…. were still running while these thoughts of my loved ones were wild in my head. Behind me, the water canon were sporadically being sprayed and the tear gas were shots at the people… running for shelters.
Dr Hatta had once again stopped to gather the large crowds some where along Jalan Raja Laut. After a brief public speaking, he lead the marchers towards Pertama Complex further and further away from the water canons and the red hat policemen. They are now moving towards LRT station in front of Sime Darby building along Jalan Sultan Ismail. The idea is to march towards the Istana Negara from Jalan Mahameru….
Stay tuned for my next instalment of what really happened at the Bersih march to Istana Negara…!
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Read Bersih march to Istana Negara Part 2
Meanwhile, Malaysiakini had reported that the other group of people marchers led by Tuan Guru Hj Hadi Awang, Anwar Ibrahim and Lim Kit Siang, had successfully delivered the memorandum to the King at the Istana Negara at about 3.55pm.
[tags]Bersih, election, Istana Negara[/tags]
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POSTED IN: Bersih
2 opinions for Bersih march to Istana Negara: What really happened Part 3
Red ribbon
Nov 11, 2007 at 12:05 pm
Today’s mainstream papers reported virtually nothing compared to even foreign news feeds………UMNO has lost its grassroots and by default its relevance…….Information…..which is the blood that runs through political veins comes now through another source ……the internet…as evidenced by the well organised massive protest on KL’s streets. The Sultans and the Agong, powers of the throne, long before UMNO or any other political party existed, instinctively realised that they must listen to the people. By contrast the BN and UMNO ignored this fact with blissful arrogance and continue to live in ice castles fast melting and waiting to be swept away into the dustbin of history….Political change in Malaysia is nigh ….but it will come with a stronger check and balance. The Sultans have been the unheralded heroes to save its peoples in this hour of need from an executive comprising of corrupted, murderous and greedy politicians. We have to thank our forefathers and maybe even the British who kept the Monarchy relevant to everyday political life in Malaysia. The people must remember the 10th of November. The day the Agong stood up for his people when they were being beaten with batons, blasted by water cannons and tear gassed.
Long live the MONARCHY!!!!
dandy
Nov 11, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Time for Agong to intervene about the Title Polis Di Raja. Man, to see his highness the Mejesty, Di Raja (Polis) spray the rakyat with tera gas and chemicals. The rakyat behave well to see the king but Di Raja (polis) misbehave under the direction of BN Politicians. So Is it time to strip them the title Di Raja (Polis)?
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