Wednesday June 29, 2011

Filipino and Korean face deportation for involvement in Bersih rally

By A. LETCHUMANAN
letchu@thestar.com.my

PUTRAJAYA: The two foreigners detained on Saturday for alleged involvement in the planned Opposition-initiated Bersih rally are being deported back to their home countries.

The authorities are in the process of doing that, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.

He did not reveal the identity of the two but press reports had named Filipino Romeo Castillo and South Korean Min Young-song as the ones detained along with 29 members of Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) in Johor on June 25.

PSM secretary-general S. Arutchelvan, however, has denied the two are involved in the rally and has filed a police report against a Malay daily that alleged they were “foreign agents”.

Arutchelvan said Castillo was the deputy secretary of the Labouring Masses party, who was invited to Malaysia to attend the PSM congress next week, while Min is a representative of the South Korean May 18 Foundation, who was attending an NGO programme.

Hishammuddin said police investigations showed there were individuals and non-governmental organisations capitalising on the planned illegal rally next month for their self-interest or political ideologies.

“I believe the organisers of the rally were not even aware of this,” he told reporters after presenting a paper at the 2nd General Police and Special Equipment Exhibition and Conference at Putrajaya International Convention Centre yesterday.

Hishammuddin reminded all quarters, whether pro-government or opposition groups, to refrain from challenging each other so as not to create a tense situation in the country.

He said the police were aware of what was happening on the ground and had been firm in taking action.

“Many are under the impression that the police do not know anything or are not capable of taking action,” he said.