Nine protesters arrested in Kuala Kangsar - Star

Feb 6, 2009

KUALA KANGSAR: Police have arrested nine people here, including a student from an Islamic college in Indonesia for rioting with dangerous weapons.

Perak police chief Deputy Commissioner Datuk Zulkifli Abdullah said those arrested, who were aged between 22 and 55, had come from as far as Ampang in Selangor to riot inside and outside the Ubudiah Mosque.

The mosque is about 300 metres away from Istana Iskandariah, where the swearing in ceremony of Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir as the new Perak Mentri Besar was held on Friday.

The protesters, he said, had remained in the mosque and its compound after Friday prayers and started rioting to prevent guests, and national and state leaders from entering the palace for the swearing in ceremony.

”I had warned them many times, yet they still gathered. We were actually very restrained and only acted when we have no other choice.

”I also regret that other members of the public had been inconvenienced by the incident,” he told reporters at the district police headquarters here.

DCP Zulkifli said the protesters even tried to stop the official vehicles of the Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, and Raja di Hilir, Raja Jaafar Raja Muda Musa, from proceeding to the palace.

He said the police would track down those responsible for inciting the crowd of to protest.

”The nine were arrested because they had laid down on the road, hurled stones and bottles and committed other criminal activities. The windscreens of some cars were shattered during the protest.

”The protesters even used children as barriers to prevent cars from proceeding to the palace,” he said, adding that given the situation, the police had no choice but to fire tear gas to disperse the protesters.