THE three Harakah Daily staff did not trespass into the official residence of the Selangor Menteri Besar (MB) but were in fact invited for a meeting, according to the PAS mouthpiece’s chief operating officer Nadzir Helmi.
In a statement on the Harakah Daily portal, the daily said the trio had been invited for a discussion about the land acquisition in Taman Sungai Sireh for the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL).
The meeting to discuss the matter with the public was conducted at the official residence of the MB on Jan 5 after public pressure. Among those that have been vocal on the matter is Suffi Kamari, who is a Harakah staff member.
“What happened that day was that Suffi Kamari and two other Harakah staff members had attended the meeting after being invited by Kampung Sungai Sireh residents under the capacity of the NGO Gerakan Pertubuhan Ummah,” Nadzir clarified.
Nadzir said the trio had attended the meeting until its completion and had even shaken hands with Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, but an officer at the residence had later accused him and his colleagues of trespassing, leading to their arrest.
Nadzir also pointed out that the issue had besmirched the news outlet’s image and reputation, adding that a police report was lodged earlier today (Jan 8) by the three staff members as legal steps to “protect the truth of what had really happened”.
The three Harakah staff were arrested on Friday (Jan 5) and released from police custody yesterday.
Amirudin’s press secretary Jay Jay Dennis confirmed the incident.
“They were arrested for trespassing and posing a security risk. They were taken to the police station in Section 6, Shah Alam,” he was reported as saying previously.
“It looks like they were acting under orders. Fortunately, police reacted promptly to prevent any untoward incident.”
According to a police report lodged by the residence keeper, one of them tried to walk into the menteri besar’s residence but was stopped by the police.
After his first attempt failed, the reporter had allegedly attempted to sneak in by hiding inside a Proton Waja, which carried the two others, who claimed they were going into the residence to attend a meeting.
However, the second attempt was also foiled by the cops, who inspected the sedan at the residence parking lot.
When contacted, Shah Alam OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Iqbal Ibrahim confirmed that a report had been lodged.
“A report was received and it was more towards a denial. We will complete our investigation papers and forward it to the deputy public prosecutor for further action this afternoon,” he remarked. – Jan 8, 2024
Main pic credit: FMT
