KUALA LUMPUR: The government was ordered to pay 29 human rights activists and journalists who were wrongfully detained by police after Umno Youth members disrupted the 1996 Apcet II civil society gathering a sum of RM30,000 each by the High Court today.
The total of RM870,000 in general damages were ordered to be paid with interest to the group who filed a RM87million suit against the government in 1998 for wrongful detention by the police.
Appeals Court Judge Wan Adnan Muhamad who delivered his decision said: “The facts here are clear and straightforward and the judgment is based on facts submitted by both parties.”
The suit was filed two years after the group’s wrongful detention on Nov 11, 1996 when about 400 members of Umno Youth-led Malaysian People’s Action Front broke down the doors of the conference halls, threw chairs and verbally and physically abused the participants at a hotel here.
The police who only intervened an hour after the incident had arrested the conference participants instead of the mobsters.
The activists were detained up to a week while foreign participants were immediately deported.
A total of 36 activists originally filed the law suit but seven withdrew and one have since passed away.
Among the plaintiffs in the suit were PKR deputy president Senator Syed Husin Ali, former PRM vice president Sanusi Othman, Parti Sosialist Malaysia president Dr Nasir Hashim, MTUC president Syed Shahir Syed Mohamed, PKR Subang MP R.Sivarasa, PKR Batu MP Tian Chua, former New Era College principal Kua Kia Soon, Malaysiakini chief executive officer Premesh Chandran and Malaysiakini editor-in-chief Steven Gan
The total of RM870,000 in general damages were ordered to be paid with interest to the group who filed a RM87million suit against the government in 1998 for wrongful detention by the police.
Appeals Court Judge Wan Adnan Muhamad who delivered his decision said: “The facts here are clear and straightforward and the judgment is based on facts submitted by both parties.”
The suit was filed two years after the group’s wrongful detention on Nov 11, 1996 when about 400 members of Umno Youth-led Malaysian People’s Action Front broke down the doors of the conference halls, threw chairs and verbally and physically abused the participants at a hotel here.
The police who only intervened an hour after the incident had arrested the conference participants instead of the mobsters.
The activists were detained up to a week while foreign participants were immediately deported.
A total of 36 activists originally filed the law suit but seven withdrew and one have since passed away.
Among the plaintiffs in the suit were PKR deputy president Senator Syed Husin Ali, former PRM vice president Sanusi Othman, Parti Sosialist Malaysia president Dr Nasir Hashim, MTUC president Syed Shahir Syed Mohamed, PKR Subang MP R.Sivarasa, PKR Batu MP Tian Chua, former New Era College principal Kua Kia Soon, Malaysiakini chief executive officer Premesh Chandran and Malaysiakini editor-in-chief Steven Gan
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