Bersih 3.0: Ambiga, 14 others and government to consider out of court settlement

The government and Bersih 2.0 chairman Datuk S. Ambiga, as well as 14 other individuals involved in the Bersih 3.0 rally, are prepared to consider an out of court settlement of the suit filed by the government against them.

High Court judge Datuk John Louis O'Hara heard applications on the matter by both parties in chambers Monday.

Federal senior counsel Azizan Md Arshad, representing the government, told reporters latter that lawyers involved in the case agreed to have the hearing of the case, which had been fixed for today, to be postponed to enable them to refer the terms of agreement in the proposed settlement to their respective clients.

He said O'Hara set Sept 20 for case management and for all parties to be informed of the development for the proposed settlement.

The government filed the suit on May 15 last year against Ambiga, Maria Chin Abdullah, Zaid Kamarudin, K. Arumugam, S. Arul Prakkash, Wong Chin Huat, Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa, Toh Kin Woon and Andrew Khoo.

On Sept 18 last year, O'Hara had allowed six other Bersih 2.0 steering committee members to be interveners in the suit.

The government is claiming special compensation amounting to RM122,000 as cost to repair damaged police vehicles, other costs, interests and other relief deemed fit by the court.

It is also seeking a declaration that the defendants, as the organisers of the Bersih 3.0 rally, had violated Section 6 (2)(g) of the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012, as they had the responsibility, among others, of ensuring that the gathering would not cause damage to public property.

In the statement of claim, the government also stated that the gathering around Dataran Merdeka turned unruly when the participants broke through the police barricades.

It said that on that day, the police were stationed around the area to ensure that the rally participants did not violate the order issued by the magistrates' court on April 26, which prohibited a gathering from being held at Dataran Merdeka and for the public not to be present there or to take part in any protest rally between April 28 and May 1 this year