Jaringan Rakyat Tertindas - JERIT

OFFICIALY THE JERIT BICYCLE CAMPAIGN HAS BEGUN !

50 CYCLISTS HAVE BEEN FLAGGED OFF FROM WISMA DARUL AMAN, WHERE THEY WOULD CYCLE  FOR 16 DAYS THROUGH KEDAH, PENANG, PERAK AND SELANGOR TO REACH PARLIMEN BRINGING THE PEOPLE'S DEMANDS.

THE SOUTHERN TEAM WHO ARE LAUNCHING THEIR CAMPAIGN AROUND THE SAME TIME  WILL BE JOINING THE NORTHERN TEAM AFTER CYCLING THROUGH JOHOR, MALACCA, NEGERI SEMBILAN, SELANGOR AND KUALA LUMPUR.

THE EAST ROUTE HAD TO BE CANCELLED DUE TO FLOOD SITUATION

5.30pm

Pekan kecil Merbau Pulas kelihatan seperti zon perang dengan kehadiran begitu ramai polis dan orang ramai. Ini adalah kerana Pasukan Utara Kempen Basikal JERIT tidak dibenarkan untuk meneruskan kempen ini. Lebih kurang jam 5.15 petang pasukan basikal ini tiba di pekan Merbau Pulas dan mengedarkan risalah. Pada masa itu, Ruben salah seorang peserta telah ditahan oleh polis. Polis juga mengugut akan menahan pasukan basikal jika yang lain terus berbasikal. Maklumat yang baru diterima menyatakan bahawa Ruben telah dibawa ke IPD Kulim untuk direkod statement dan akan dibebaskan dengan jaminan polis. Sementara itu, Timbalan OCPD sedang dalam perjalanan ke tempat para peserta lain berada. Sila hubungi IPD Kulim di 04-4906222 untuk membantah penangkapan ini.

BALIK PULAU, Penang: 7pm

JERIT's Bicycle Campaign continuously faces police harassment as they cycle through the northern states. Yesterday in Merbau Pulas in Kedah, JERIT cyclist Ruben was arrested for distributing leaflets with the excuse there is no address in the leaflet despite the leaflet having phone number and JERIT website address.

Today, the cyclist cycled to Kulim and moved to Penang through Teluk Kumbar . In Teluk Kumbar, the cyclists was stopped again and the "bicycles were arrested". An Inspektor Lokman stopped the lorry carrying the  bicycles to Penang and diverted it to the Teluk Kumbar Police Station. It seems it is the OCPD 's order not to allow the team to cycle in Balik Pulau. After 3 hours of pressuring and negotiation , finally the bicycles were released but cycling was still "banned".

After that a team of JERIT members went to meet up the OCPD to further negotiate to continue the cycling. During that time, the bus carrying participants to the place they were going to stay were stopped and police demanded the names and i/c number of the cyclists. The organisers demanded why they have to give the details, the police had not concrete reasons. So the organizers refused to give the details but only gave details of themselves. The was a half an hour standoff in the middle of the road near Balik Pulau. Practically the bus was detained in the middle of the road.

The negotiation team that went to see the OCPD could not see him as he went to the airport to receive the Prime Minister. Our team met up with the Special Branch chief who they negotiated with and he gave assurance that they will not stop our cyclists tomorrow.

The bicycle campaign today was done with so much of police intimidation. However the spirit among the cyclists is very high. Tomorrow, the team will be handing over memorandum to the Chief Minister of Penang YB Lim Guan Eng on JERIT's demands.

The police harassment clearly shows that the powers to be in KL are not happy with the JERIT;s demands and campaign which represents the people's aspiration.

6TH. December , Skudai

This morning, the SUARAM office near the vicinity of Skudai turned into an emergency zone, when the police mobilized their entire unit, from Light Strike Force, FRU to traffic police, erected road blocks which caused a massive traffic jam and massive public nuisance. This is to ensure around 40 young and energetic youth from cycling

Kluang, 7 December 2008

Signing in : Simpang Renggam 8am

This morning while we were giving the cyclist security briefing, one
young cyclist said, we are not worried about the slope, that we can
manage but we are more worried about police not allowing us to cycle.
His comment summed up how the cyclist felt on day one where the
cyclist were practically barred from cycling and leafleting.

The mission for JERIT's southern team on day two was that leaflet on
JERIT's demands must reach the people but the police seem to employ a
new strategy. They seem to say cycling is ok but not leafleting. The
police now tries to employ a tactic where they want the cyclist to
cycle without bringing in a political message. A campaign of cycling
perse without a message reaching the masses would make the JERIT
campaign a failure.

It was a wet day and a public holiday but the towns which the cycling team passed by was full of activity and excitement created by the police. In Yong Peng, a small town, the police in many cars, some marked and many unmarked, policemen in uniform and without roamed freely, taking photos in all angles, intimidating the cycling team. It appeared that the police, all looking very tense were all out to frustrate the JERIT cycling campaign. The police force had a field day until JERIT decided to move to a new location – a familiar location to the police. We all went to to the police station where a police report was lodged against the police for intimidating and harassment. The police was stunned when we went to their own den.

Today is human rights day. 10 December 2008. We left our luxury stay from Gemas Rest House to Melaka. The day was pleasantly quite. When we crossed border from Negeri Sembilan to Melaka, we were rather shocked that there were no Road Blocks to greet us. In the last few days, we have become familiar to Road Blocks and it has become a routine and when we didn't see one, we were puzzled.