[VIDEO] How The Nothing To Hide 2.0 Forum Erupted Into A Violent Riot
The incident happened on Sunday, 13 August.
By Nandini Balakrishnan — 15 Aug 2017, 02:05 PM
On 13 August, violence broke out at the Nothing To Hide 2.0 forum as flares, shoes, and chairs were thrown at Pakatan Harapan chairman Tun Dr Mahathir
It all began when former Armada exco, Taufik Abas, asked Dr Mahathir if he took responsibility for the infamous Memali incident in Baling, Kedah, on 19 November 1985, which saw the death of 14 civilians and four police officers.
As the former prime minister attempted to answer the question, a commotion broke out. One member of the audience, who was wearing a red Armada t-shirt, threw a chair in the direction of the stage where Dr Mahathir was standing.
Things got out of hand as flares were lit and chairs were thrown at the people in the hall. Shah Alam District police chief Assistant Commissioner Shafien Mamat told New Straits Times (NST) that one of the slippers almost hit Dr Mahathir who was already surrounded by his bodyguards. Bersatu Youth (Armada) is Parti Pribumi BERSATU Malaysia's youth wing and its chairman is Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman.
Parti Pribumi BERSATU Malaysia, the organiser of the forum, has released a video detailing the events that led to the commotion on Sunday evening at the forum
Armada t-shirt clad youths arriving at the scene of the incident.
Image via Facebook/Parti Pribumi BERSATU MalaysiaA group of young men wearing the red Armada t-shirts arrived at the venue, Selangor Youth and Culture Complex in Shah Alam at about 2.30pm.
They sat down at the back of the hall, with their heads bowed down. The captions in the video stated that it almost seemed like they didn't want their faces to be photographed.
Dr Mahathir arrived at about 3.45pm and was escorted into the VVIP room for a quick briefing. The event started at 4pm with Dr Mahathir's opening speech before the question and answer session started.
The forum was going well, as Dr Mahathir answered all the questions from the floor.
It was only when a question on the Memali incident was asked by the former Armada exco, that things turned ugly.
Dr Mahathir answering questions from members of the audience.
Image via Facebook/Parti Pribumi BERSATU Malaysia
"Why, Tun? They were Malaysians. They were Malays, villagers. They were not Jews or Zionists," Taufik Abas reportedly asked, according to Free Malaysia Today (FMT).
The Memali incident in 1985 was a special operation that saw a confrontation between a team of 200 police officers and an Islamic sect, led by Ibrahim Mahmud which led to the death of 14 villagers.
Mahathir reportedly responded calmly by saying that four policemen also died in the confrontation and that the authorities complied with the standard operating procedures in the operation.
Even before Dr Mahathir could finish answering the question, one of the men wearing the red Armada t-shirt, threw a chair at the Pakatan Harapan chairman
In just a matter of minutes, some of the men in red t-shirts started throwing shoes, water bottles, chairs, and flares towards the stage
According to The Malaysian Insight, Dr Mahathir and moderator Azhar Harun were escorted out of the hall as soon as the commotion broke out.
The news portal also mentioned that it was told by an aide that Dr Mahathir, his wife Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin, former Kedah MB Mukhriz Mahathir, Perkasa vice-president Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman, Bersatu youth chief Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman and DAP lawmaker Lim Kit Siang who were all present at the forum, were not injured in the incident.
The authorities have arrested three teenagers in relation to the commotion. Two of them are local private college students.
NST reported Shah Alam District police chief Assistant Commissioner Shafien Mamat, as saying that it was members of the public that apprehended the teenagers and later handed them over to the police.
Shafien said that the trio are aged, 17, 18, and 19 respectively.
"Two were clad in red T-shirts bearing the (Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia) Armada logo and another in a black T-shirt. At the moment, no one, including the organiser, has lodged a police report.
"However, we will be hauling up the organiser for questioning. Right now, it is at the preliminary stage. Please give us room to investigate this case," he told NST.
He also mentioned that the authorities have informed the organisers on the importance of ensuring the safety of all those who attend the forum and preventing any chaos from occurring when they met up before the event.
"Those were our conditions. But you can see what had happened today. We will summon the organiser and investigate from all angles because they have also failed to adhere to our conditions," added Shafien.
One of the security personnel told NST that the attackers were clearly targeting Dr Mahathir, as objects, including flares, were thrown towards the Pakatan Harapan chairman
Shafien revealed that the assailants, who came in a group of around 300 people, were mostly teenagers and that they had printed their own Armada t-shirts to blend in with the crowd.
The rowdy group had allegedly put on two layers of t-shirts before entering the venue.
"After the provocation, they fled and ditched their PPBM T-shirts while running to their motorcycles," one of the police officers told Shafien.
There were reportedly seven officers and 35 security personnel at the forum.
Initial investigations revealed that the three boys were each paid RM50 to attend the forum. They were allegedly asked to gather at an unnamed location in Setiawangsa and given the red Armada t-shirts.
The Malaysian Insight also reported that the teenagers will be remanded until 17 August.
The underage suspect is apparently a dropout from Perlis while the 18-year-old teenager has criminal records and is part of an ongoing rape trial.
According to media reports, the incident lasted for about half an hour. A few female reporters were allegedly kicked by unidentified assailants for taking photographs of them.
NST said that the authorities deployed a Light Strike Force anti-riot team at about 6.30pm.
The Nothing To Hide 2.0 forum was organised by Armada for Pakatan Harapan chairman Dr Mahathir and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to debate the scandals on 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB)
Pakatan Harapan chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad at the Nothing To Hide forum on Sunday, 13 August.
Image via The Malaysian InsightPM Najib did not turn up for the forum despite the fact that an invitation was sent to his office, with Dr Mahathir openly stating that the prime minister is free to ask him any questions about all the allegations made against him.