Malaysian police tear gas, scuffle with protesters
Protesters run as Police fire tear gas during an Anti Internal Security Act AP – Protesters run as Police fire tear gas during an Anti Internal Security Act (ISA) demonstration in downtown …
By JULIA ZAPPEI, Associated Press Writer Julia Zappei, Associated Press Writer – 2 hrs 58 mins ago
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Riot police charged demonstrators with batons and fired tear gas Saturday to disperse thousands of people marching in Malaysia's largest city to protest a law that allows indefinite detention without trial.
People began massing at Kuala Lumpur's main mosque, a shopping mall and a train station Saturday morning in defiance of government warnings that police would crack down on demonstrators, who are pushing leaders to scrap the Internal Security Act, which allows the imprisonment of people regarded as security threats. Police said many thousands had taken to the streets, with some news Web sites putting the count as high as 20,000.
Police fired tear gas and chemical-laced water to disperse the crowds shortly after they began marching toward the national palace. The protesters — who chanted "Reformasi," the opposition's slogan for political change — had planned to submit a petition to the country's king, the constitutional monarch, to denounce the security act.
Witnesses said police wielding batons charged the protesters and scuffled with them. Many people ran into alleys and shops nearby to avoid being arrested.
"The police are really brutal," opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim told reporters at the protest. "This clearly shows (the government's) intolerance to any dissent. ... We gather here today to fight a cruel law."
Before the march started, Kuala Lumpur Police Chief Muhammad Sabtu Osman said 150 people — identified as protesters because they were wearing opposition T-shirts and headbands — had been detained to prevent them from taking part. Opposition activists estimated at least 200 people were detained by the time the protest ended.
Government authorities had warned they would not allow the protest, saying it could undermine public peace.
Authorities set up roadblocks across Kuala Lumpur to deter the demonstrators from trying to reach the city center, sparking massive traffic crawls. Hundreds of riot police backed by trucks mounted with water cannons stood outside train station and shopping mall where the demonstrators had arranged to gather.
Restaurants and stores were shuttered on several streets ahead of the rally — the biggest street protest in Kuala Lumpur since a November 2007 when tens of thousands of minority ethnic Indians demanded racial equality.
A police official at the scene, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make public statements, said authorities could only estimate that there were "many thousands of protesters."
The Star newspaper and Malaysiakini news Web site reported a total of 20,000 protesters in three different areas.
Prime Minister Najib Razak has promised to consider amending the security act, though government officials have repeatedly said it is necessary to safeguard national security, and on Friday he urged people not to join the protest.
Nazri Aziz, the Cabinet minister in charge of legal affairs, said Saturday that as long as the National Front ruling coalition "is leading the government, the ISA will not be abolished," The Star reported on its Web site.
Human rights groups estimate at least 17 people are being held under the act, mainly for alleged links to militants and document forgery.
Activists have long decried the decades-old act, instituted during the British colonial era, saying it is sometimes used to jail government critics and dampen dissent.
Human rights activists have held numerous smaller rallies over the years to protest the security act, but Saturday's protest received a boost after opposition parties urged their supporters to come out in force.
YAHOO NEWS CARRY REPORTS ON ANTI ISA PROTEST IN KL
KAMI AKAN KEMBALI
Percubaan polis masuk pejabat Agung PAS gagal!
Nyza Ayob dan Wan Nordin
Sat | Aug 01, 09 | 5:56:41 pm MYT
KUALA LUMPUR, 1 Ogos (Hrkh) - Kira-kira jam 5.15 petang tadi, pihak polis cuba memasuki Pejabat Agung PAS dipercayai bagi menahan beberapa pimpinan utama Pakatan Rakyat.
Namun cubaan itu berjaya dipatahkan oleh anggota Unit Amal yang berkawal di Pejabat Agung PAS.
Pada jam 5.20 lima trak FRU mengawal di pejabat tersebut, namun beberapa minit selepas gagal memasuki Pejabat Agung PAS, mereka beredar.
Harakahdaily difahamkan, pimpinan utama Pakatan Rakyat masih berada di pejabat tersebut.
Sementara di Maju Junction, polis masih bertempur dengan peserta himpunan, namun lebih ganas dengan mengejar serta melemparkan gas pemedih mata.
20 RIBU ANTI ISA BANJIRI KL BERTEMBUNG POLIS
Lebih 20,000 peserta himpunan aman bertembung polis dekat Sogo
Harakahdaily
Sat | Aug 01, 09 | 2:27:50 pm MYT
KUALA LUMPUR, 1 Ogos (Hrkh) - Presiden PAS, Dato' Seri Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi Awang dilihat mengetuai perarakan beberapa kumpulan yang terpisah dari Sogo ke Dataran Merdeka. Turut bersamanya, Setiausaha Agung PAS, Dato' Mustafa Ali dan Naib-Naib Presiden, Dato' Mahfuz Omar dan Salahudin Ayub.
Menurut wartawan Harakahdaily polis sudah menggunakan kekerasan dan keganasan dengan membelasah peserta perhimpunan aman Mansuh ISA yang mula digerakkan dari kompleks membeli-belah Sogo di Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman ke Dataran Merdeka dan Masjid Jamik.
Keadaan dilihat semakin tidak terkawal dengan tindakan ganas polis itu. Laungan takbir dan reformasi bersahut-sahutan. Dianggarkan lebih 20,000 orang terbabit dengan perarakan berkenaan.
Kumpulan yang bersama dengan Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi Awang dilihat menjadi sasaran pihak polis. Kelihatan juga beberapa insiden 'pertempuran' antara peserta himpunan dengan anggota polis yang semakin ganas bertindak.
Peserta demonstrasi menggunakan jalan lain menuju ke Dataran Merdeka untuk bertemu dengan kumpulan yang berarak dari Masjid Negara.
Polis juga menggunakan anjing pengesan membantu operasi mereka. Beberapa pimpinan Pakatan Rakyat dilihat mengetuai perarakan yang semakin ramai sambutan. Polis membelasah menggunakan belantan.
Sebelum itu, Setiausaha Pemuda PAS, Kamaruzaman Mohamad dan aktivis Arutchelvan sedang berbincang dengan pihak polis bagi mendapatkan laluan ke Dataran Merdeka dan Masjid Jamik. Namun pihak polis bukan sahaja tidak membenarkan, malah memberi amaran akan melepaskan gas pemedih mata bagi menyuraikan himpunan. _
Lintas langsung Perhimpunan Mansuhkan ISA
Harakahdaily
Sat | Aug 01, 09 | 1:16:59 pm MYT
2.00 tengah hari: Di SOGO, 2 orang lelaki dari parti PKR ditangkap oleh polis kerana memakai lencana Mansuhkan ISA dan ia menimbulkan sedikit kekecohan. Pegawai Khas MB Kedah, Yusrin Zakri Adnan dan bapanya Hj Adnan Din ditahan polis. Orang ramai mula bergerak ke Dataran Merdeka. Kira-kira 5,000 orang bertembung di Jalan TAR dan mula berarak ke Dataran Merdeka.
Di MASJID NEGARA, Ketua Polis Kuala Lumpur memberitahu bahawa setakat ini 157 orang telah ditangkap. Orang ramai mula berarak ke Dataran Merdeka dipimpin oleh Dr Hatta Ramli tetapi diminta bersurai oleh polis. Namun mereka meneruskan perjalanan. Kira-kira 5,000 orang sedak berarak.
Di MASJID JAMEK, orang ramai semakin berkurangan setelah disuraikan oleh pasukan polis. 3 orang lelaki telah ditangkap secara aneh oleh pasukan apabila mereka dikehendaki bergambar bersama T'shirt lambang ISA. Polis membuat benteng dan mengarahkan orang ramai segera beredar. Polis melepaskan gas pemedih mata untuk menyuraikan orang ramai.
Di ISTANA NEGARA, keadaan masih tenang tanpa kehadiran orang ramai. Pasukan polis dengan 4 trak 'Water Cannon' dan 10 trak FRU ditempatkan di sekitar kawasan.
1.30 tengah hari: Di SOGO, 27 orang telah ditangkap polis setakat ini. Semua kedai di kawasan ini dan Sogo sendiri telah ditutup. Polis mengarahkan kira-kira 1,500 orang supaya segera bersurai.
Di MASJID NEGARA, beberapa orang telah ditangkap kerana setelah diperiksa mereka didapati membawa bahan yang ada kaitan dengan ISA seperti topi, lencana dan banner.
Di MASJID JAMEK, orang ramai semakin berkurangan setelah disuraikan oleh pasukan polis. Setakat ini 23 orang telah ditangkap di sini termasuk 2 orang wanita.
Di ISTANA NEGARA, keadaan masih tenang tanpa kehadiran orang ramai. Pasukan polis dengan 4 trak 'Water Cannon' dan 10 trak FRU ditempatkan di sekitar kawasan.
1.00 tengah hari: Di SOGO, orang ramai semakin ramai berhimpun biarpun pasukan polis termasuk unit anjing cuba menghalang mereka berbuat demikian. Helikopter polis berlegar-legar rendah di kawasan Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman yang telah ditutup kepada lalu lintas. Aktivis GMI Norlaila Osman dan anak perempuannya Narshita Md Noor, Aiman Athirah Al-Jundi (PAS), Salmah Ismail (PKR), Hayati Abd Samad (PKR) telah ditahan dan dimasukkan ke dalam Black Maria. 8 lelaki turut ditahan dan dimasukkan ke dalam Black Maria.
Di MASJID NEGARA, polis memperketatkan kawalan dan menghalang orang ramai memasuki perkarangan masjid. Petugas-petugas media berkumpul di sini menunggu kehadiran pimpinan pembangkang dan GMI. Hanya beberapa orang awam berkumpul di sini. Orang ramai yang berkumpul di Stesen KTM mula bergerak ke Masjid Negara untuk menunaikan solat zohor. Polis memeriksa beg-beg yang dibawa oleh orang ramai.
Di MASJID JAMEK, 20 orang telah ditahan polis. Orang ramai semakin ramai berhimpun di sini. Polis menghalang orang ramai berkumpul di sekitar Masjid Jamek. Seorang peguam Puspa Rosman ditahan kerana mengedarkan risalah undang-undang kepada orang ramai. Polis memberi arahan kepada orang ramai supaya beredar dalam masa 15 minit.
Di ISTANA NEGARA, keadaan tenang tanpa kehadiran orang ramai. Pasukan polis dengan 4 trak 'Water Cannon' dan 10 trak FRU ditempatkan di sekitar kawasan.
CENTRE FOR DISEASE CONTROL RECOMMENDS 2 GROUPS FOR H1N1 VACCINE
2 recommendations by CDC exist that target 5 groups to receive the vaccine:
First
* Pregnant women,
* household contacts of children who are younger than 6 months of age,
* healthcare workers and emergency medical services personnel
* children and young people between the ages of 6 months and 24 years of age, and
* nonelderly adults with underlying risk conditions or medical conditions that increase their risk for complications from influenza.
Second:
* Pregnant women,
* household contacts of children who are younger than 6 months of age,
* healthcare workers and emergency services personnel who have direct patient contact or direct contact with infectious substances,
* children between the ages of 6 months and 4 years of age, and
* children 5 to18 years of age who have underlying risk factors that put them at greater risk for complications of influenza.
CDC Issues H1N1 Vaccination Recommendations
Emma Hitt, PhD
July 30, 2009 (Atlanta, Georgia) — New H1N1 influenza vaccine recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggest priority distribution among 5 groups.
The CDC announced the recommendations in a press conference held after an "urgent" meeting of the Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices yesterday.
Recommended Target Groups
Anne Schuchat, MD, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases with the CDC, announced that the Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices recommends that 5 target groups receive the vaccine:
* Pregnant women,
* household contacts of children who are younger than 6 months of age,
* healthcare workers and emergency medical services personnel,
* children and young people between the ages of 6 months and 24 years of age, and
* nonelderly adults with underlying risk conditions or medical conditions that increase their risk for complications from influenza.
The committee also addressed the issue of what to do in the event of a vaccine shortage and how to prioritize those groups who should receive the vaccine.
"In general, under most circumstances, we really ought to promote vaccine in all of these 5 focus groups, and...picking them or prioritizing some before others would not benefit the public," Dr. Schuchat said. The CDC's estimate of the target groups totals 159 million individuals, but "there's a lot of overlap in some of the groups...[it is] probably a lower number than that," she said.
"Just in Case" Prioritization Group
However, the Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices also proposed a priority group consisting of a much smaller group, about 41 million individuals, that should be vaccinated in the event of a shortage. These include
* Pregnant women,
* household contacts of children who are younger than 6 months of age,
* healthcare workers and emergency services personnel who have direct patient contact or direct contact with infectious substances,
* children between the ages of 6 months and 4 years of age, and
* children 5 to18 years of age who have underlying risk factors that put them at greater risk for complications of influenza.
According to Dr. Schuchat, the real operating assumption is that they will "go forward with the broader group," she said.
Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Remains Important
According to the CDC, the seasonal influenza vaccine remains very important. "Our assumption is that it is very likely [that seasonal influenza and H1N1 vaccines] can be given together," Dr. Schuchat told Medscape Infectious Diseases during the briefing. "There will be more data coming out...but it is likely they can be given at the same visit," she said. According to Dr. Schuchat, 2 doses of the vaccine will probably be needed, with 15 μg antigen/dose.
"The recommendations make sense on the basis of what we know about this virus," said John Bartlett, MD, chief of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Baltimore, Maryland.
"Of interest is the observation that persons over 64 years, a high priority for seasonal flu vaccine, are not included here," he told Medscape Infectious Diseases. "That decision is based on the curious observation that the people born before 1957 appear to be relatively well protected from infection or serious disease with this strain of H1N1 virus." According to Dr. Bartlett, it appears that a similar strain circulated before 1957, accounting for this protection; other comparable viruses also have circulated more recently.
"Pregnant women and young people seem to be especially susceptible to [the H1N1] influenza strain and also to bad outcomes when infected," he said. "But the elderly should get [the] seasonal flu vaccine, since they account for the vast majority of the 36,000 deaths attributed to seasonal influenza in the average season" he added. "In fact, most people should get seasonal flu vaccine. The current indications for that vaccine apply to about 80% of the US population."
Production a Concern
Dr. Schuchat noted that the production of the H1N1 vaccine could be unpredictable. "Right now, we are to on track, expecting vaccine doses in the fall," she said, adding that "exactly how many [doses will be available] exactly when will be tough to pinpoint."
"Production is a concern, since the novel H1N1 virus does not grow well in eggs, and 2 doses are likely to be necessary," said Dr. Bartlett. If the virus thrives in the fall in the Northern hemisphere, "it will be a challenge to be ready," he said.
Medscape
