TPP protest: Man believed to be member of anarchy group arrested at Jalan Tun Perak

A man in his 20s, believed to be a member of an anarchy group, was arrested during a rally held to protest against Malaysia joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), at Padang Merbok here, Saturday.

Dang Wangi district police chief ACP Zainol Samah said the arrest was made at Jalan Tun Perak to avoid any untoward incidents from occurring but did not reveal time of the arrest.

"The man was arrested as he is believed to be a member of an anarchy group whose members were previously arrested by police," he told Bernama via a Whatsapp message.

On Friday, police had arrested six men aged between 30 and 50 on suspicion of vandalising public property, including painting anarchy symbols in several areas around the capital like Jalan Petaling, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and Jalan Melayu.

The group was also believed to be planning to join the TPPA rally at Padang Merbok organised by the Positive Malaysian Treatment Access and Advocacy Group (MTAAG), Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM), the People's Congress, as well as several non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

Zainol said an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 people attended the rally which proceeded without any untoward incidents.

"The was a sufficient number of security personnel present," he said. The rally began at about 2 pm, with participants gathering at locations such as the National Mosque, Masjid Jamek, Sogo, and Dataran Merdeka, before heading to Padang Merbok.

The presence of the protestors also affected the shopping experience of customers in conjunction with the Thaipusam holidays and in preparation for the upcoming Chinese New Year celebration, as a number of roads were closed, causing traffic congestion.

Checks by Bernama found that there were elements of vandalism such as graffiti on the walls of buildings around Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, which marred the beauty of the "Park Avenue" of the federal capital.

There were also participants who did not respect the National Flag, by using it as a cloth to sit on, besides those who even brought children to the event, in violation to the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012.

At Padang Merbok, several opposition leaders among them Batu MP Tian Chua, Subang MP R.Sivarasa, Parti Amanah Negara president Mohamad Sabu, and Pertubuhan Peribumi Perkasa Malaysia (Perkasa) president Datuk Ibrahim Ali took to the stage to express their concerns about the TPPA.

Among the contents of the speeches were claims that people, especially in rural areas and students, had begun to ration food due to exorbitant price hikes.

There were also proposals for the establishment of a Royal Commission to monitor the TPPA, besides claims that upon signing the agreement, foreign companies will enter Malaysia, and the economy will be fully controlled by the United States as well as other third parties.

The rally ended at around 5pm with all participants dispersing peacefully from the venue, and traffic surrounding the area returned to normal.

A special parliamentary sitting will be held to debate the TPPA on Tuesday and Wednesday, before it is brought to the Dewan Negara for a final decision to be made.

Malaysia is among 12 countries, namely Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Singapore, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, the United States and Vietnam who concluded negotiations on the TPPA on Oct 5, 2015.