Published: Friday December 10, 2010 MYT 3:34:00 PM
Updated: Friday December 10, 2010 MYT 3:55:15 PM
Protest against hike in fuel prices; 3 students detained
By STEVEN DANIEL
PUTRAJAYA: Three students were arrested in front of the Putrajaya Mosque after protesting over recent price hikes on petrol, diesel and sugar. A group of 100 students wearing black T-shirts gathered at the mosque shortly after Friday prayers before shouting slogans against the price hikes.
A small group of policemen instructed the group to disperse but after negotiating with them, agreed to allow a few students to hand over a memorandum to the Prime Minister’s Department on the matter.
However, police nabbed two student leaders after they refused to disperse after submitting the memorandum. The third was taken in while he waited for lawyers to arrive at the police station here where the two were being held.
The detained students are Gamis leader Ahmad Shukri Razak, secretary of Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia Mohd Ridzuan Othman and student Mohd Syahruldeen Ahmad Rosli.
Putrajaya OCPD Supt Abdul Razak Abdul Majid confirmed the arrests, saying that the students’ statements were being taken. He declined to say if the students would be released after their statements were recorded.
The Government, on Nov 4, raised the prices of RON95 and diesel by 5sen per litre. Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and sugar went up by 5 sen per kg and 20 sen per kg respectively.
The price hikes are expected to save the government RM1.18bil in subsidies.
