Bersih 5 will go on even without Maria and Mandeep

Bersih 2.0 Steering Committee members in a statement Friday said Maria Chin's and Mandeep’s arrest have changed nothing and Bersih 5 will go on as planned.

"If the authorities hope that this act of pure intimidation will scare us into submission, it will not happen.

"Instead, it has strengthened our resolve to continue with the Bersih 5 rally," they said.

Maria and Mandeep were arrested during a raid at the Bersih 2.0 office in Petaling Jaya Friday afternoon.

Bersih 2.0 expressed hope that the "heavy-handed action" on the part of the authorities will spur Malaysians into coming down to the streets tomorrow.

The rally is not just to demand for institutional reforms but to protest injustices from happening in the country.

Bersih 2.0 claimed in the statement, at 3.12pm Friday, its office was raided in an ambush that trampled on the rule of law.

"Ten policemen from Bukit Aman led by ASP Wan Aedil barged into our office citing that the raid was conducted under Section 124(C) of the Penal Code in relation to Bersih’s alleged Open Society Foundations (OSF) funding.

"When asked to produce a warrant, he said one was not needed. He had also refused to elaborate on the evidence or documents that they were looking for.

"Instead, he and his officers threw their weight around and harassed the staff," Bersih 2.0 said.

It said, the police officers were later joined by four officers from the Malaysian Communications And Multimedia Commission (MCMC) who assisted in collecting evidence.

"In total, 10 laptops (including chargers), pen drives, hard disks, payroll files, bank statements, and documents pertaining to The May 18 Foundation were seized.

"They had also taken several photos of the office. The raid lasted two hours, ending at 5.15pm," according to the statement.

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