Four reporters manhandled, searched by DAP supporters
SIBU: Four reporters were manhandled when DAP supporters in the crowd stopped them from entering the Civic Centre here at around 9pm.
They then dragged the reporters and insisted on searching their bags before letting them in.
One of the reporters was from a local English newspaper while the other three were from the Chinese press, with a chief reporter among them.
The newsman from English press said he had called out to a CID man in the Civic Centre compound from the crowd to ask him the entrance and the policeman pointed the way in.
“( Then) DAP supporters, on hearing that I was going to enter the compound, shouted to their counterparts not to let me in,” the newsman named ‘Kong’ said.
“In the crowd, several DAP supporters dragged my bag and prevented me from entering.”
“They insisted on searching my bag. I showed my media pass and camera to identify myself as a reporter but was ignored.”
Kong said he had no choice but to let one of them, wearing a red shirt, search his bag while other DAP supporters were in revelry at the time.
He added that a DAP supporter searched his bag again and again, suspecting him to have stuffed ballots inside the bag.
He said a voice came out from the crowd, calling on DAP supporters to search his pants and underwear.
“When they found nothing, they shouted ‘ Bersih’ and let me in,” he said, adding that they did not rif le through his pants and underwear.
“Luckily, nothing inside my bag was missing,” he said.
Two other reporters and a chief reporter also had their bags searched by DAP supporters before they were allowed to go in the Civic Centre.