TIAN CHUA WITHDRAWS APPEAL, GOES TO JAIL
He withdrew his appeal against his conviction and 1-month jail sentence
BATU member of parliament Tian Chua has been sent to jail after he withdrew his appeal against his conviction and monthlong jail sentence for failing to obey police orders to vacate a restricted area at the Police Training Centre (Pulapol) in 2012.
A three-man Court of Appeal panel, led by Datuk Wira Mohtarudin Baki, ordered Chua to serve his sentence beginning yesterday.
Having fought his case for five years, Chua said yesterday that he decided, after long and careful consideration, to retract his final appeal and would serve time.
Chua said his acceptance of the prison sentence was “not an admission of wrongdoing but to highlight the wrongs of the government”.
He said his charge was in connection with his presence in Pulapol, where he was detained that particular night and accused of trespassing a “Protected Area”, namely Pulapol.
He labelled the decision to penalise him for being in the Pulapol compound as “absurd”, as he said he was brought in by force and against his will.
“On April 28, 2012, I was arrested at the peaceful assembly of Bersih. And that evening, together with some 500 people who had been arrested, I was sent to Pulapol.
“On that day, not only were participants of the Bersih assembly hit by tear gas and water cannons, but many, including myself, were slapped and physically assaulted during the process of the arrest. Nevertheless, I was not charged with taking part in an illegal assembly.
“Subsequently, I was convicted by the Sessions Court on Jan 24, 2014 and sentenced to one month’s imprisonment and a RM1,000 fine,” he said.
On Jan 24, 2014, Chua, whose real name is Chua Tian Chang, was sentenced to a month’s jail and fined RM1,000 by the Sessions Court here after he was found guilty of refusing an order by DSP A. Rajagopal to vacate the place, which had been gazetted as a restricted area under the Restricted Areas Orders 1975.
He allegedly committed the offfence at Pulapol, Jalan Semarak, at 2.30am on April 29, 2012, one day after the Bersih 3.0 rally.
His appeal against the decision at the High Court was dismissed on Nov 30 last year.