Jamal Md Yunos, who has grown to be the public face of the Malay-rights, pro-Najib Red Shirt movement, was arrested last night at the Ampang Jaya police station.
The Sungai Besar UMNO division chief was detained under Section 105 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which KL CID chief SAC Zainuddin Ahmad said was “to prevent a crime from occuring over his alleged statements that riots would in Petaling Street,” as quoted by The Star Online‘s Austin Camoens.
Section 105 of the Criminal Procedure Code allows a police officer to arrest a suspect with “a design to commit any sizeable offence” without a court order or an issued arrest warrant, if the offence cannot be otherwise prevented.
On Wednesday, Jamal warned of another gathering of red-shirted Malay protesters in Petaling Street on Saturday, after calling for ethnic Chinese traders in KL’s Chinatown to open up more business opportunities and profits in the area for Malays.
Earlier yesterday, Jamal confirmed that he would present himself at the Ampang Jaya police station, and that he would not attend the planned follow-up Red Shirt rally in Petaling Street.
He also denied that he was an organiser of the Gathering for Malay Dignity, held on Malaysia Day, that resulted in violence at the entrance to Petaling Street between protesters and police officers. Federal Reserve Unit troops and water cannon trucks were deployed to defuse the tense situation there.
Another Red Shirt organiser, Malay Armed Forces Veterans Association president Mohd Ali Baharom, announced late last night that the Petaling Street gathering slated for today had been called off.
Mohd Ali, better known as Ali Tinju, said the Red Shirts had cancelled their plan to converge once more in Petaling Street to allow Malaysian authorities to give in to their demands that more Malay traders be allowed to set up shop in Chinatown.
Despite admitting to being one of the organisers of today’s cancelled gathering, he said he could not guarantee another rally would not take place, but that if one were to happen, he would not be the person behind it.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police Noor Rashid Ibrahim had warned that the PDRM would not compromise with anyone attempting to organise a rally in Petaling Street, and would take stern action against protesters converging there.
On Malaysia Day, red-shirted Malay protesters clashed with police and Federal Reserve Unit troops when trying to breach barricades blocking them from entering Petaling Street. Water cannons had to be deployed to disperse the protesters.
