Shah Alam fracas started by PPBM members themselves - PPBM leader

Wan Mohammad Ashraf Nasjaruddin, PPBM Shah Alam security director, also said that he had received death threats as well.

He said he had lodged two police reports, one over the fracas and the other on the death threats.

"I lodged the first police report because I want the police to investigate the fracas. A video clip of the forum shows that the chairs were hurled in my direction and not towards PPBM chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

"I suspect that those involved were from among the organising committee, secretariat and several PPBM members themselves.

"The chaos was triggered to prevent me from asking Dr Mahathir several other questions after those on the Memali incident were asked by others," he said to reporters after lodging the reports at the Shah Alam Police headquarters here.

Wan Mohammad Ashraf said that following the fracas, he received death threats from unidentified individuals on the PPBM Facebook account.

The threats were also directed at his family and it was for safety reasons that he lodged the second police report, he said.

Wan Mohammad Ashraf also called on PPBM Youth chief Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman to resign, saying the latter had failed to ensure the security of guests at the forum.

"I am prepared to remain in the party and challenge him until he resigns," he said.

The fracas erupted at 5.10 pm on Sunday when some people allegedly dissatisfied with the reply to questions directed at Dr Mahathir on the Memali incident of 1985 started throwing footwear, chairs and water bottles and traded punches.

Eighteen people, four of them policemen, died in the Memali tragedy in Kedah on Nov 19, 1985, in a police operation to arrest a religious teacher, Ibrahim Mahmud, better known as Ibrahim Libya.