Hisham: I take Ambiga death threat seriously

The home minister says that in current circumstances, the threat is serious

KUALA LUMPUR: Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein today said that he takes the death threat to Bersih 2.0 chairperson, Ambiga Sreenevasan, seriously and that he will be getting the police to investigate the SMS which has been making its rounds.

In a text message sent to Ambiga and the press at 1.57am today, the unknown sender, referring to the “Walk for Democracy” rally planned for July 9, said:
“If the rally takes place my people and I will kill Ambiga and all those around her one by one including the idiot politicians who are in cahoots with this infidel. This is my warning. You watch out.”

Hishammuddin, who was speaking to reporters at the Parliament lobby, said that the death threat was serious.

“I take it very serious, especially to Ambiga whom I know well from my legal days,” he said.
“A lot of things go on SMS. I get death threats, too, but in the circumstances of Bersih, it is serious,” he added.

He also said that he will be heading to Bukit Aman to further discuss the matter.
“I will get police to look at this to ensure that the SMSEs making the rounds are not real and where they originate from,” he said.

The message written in Malay had also questioned if the people were blind in that they did not see that Ambiga was being used as a tool to destroy Malay unity.

“The PAS and PKR camps are are both deaf and blind. If the Election Commission wasn’t clean, could they have won Selangor, Kedah, Penang, Kelantan and Perak?”

Ambiga told FMT earlier today that she wil be lodging a police report on the threat.
The home ministry yesterday said that police permits will not be issued to Bersih 2.0, Umno Youth and Perkasa to conduct mass gatherings and marches on July 9.

At least 422 police reports have so far been lodged against the rally and its organisers condemning it as a plot to overturn the government.

Perkasa and Gerak Aman, a coalition of 57 NGOs, have announced that they will counter the Bersih rally. Umno Youth, meanwhile, is organising a march on the same day to hand over a memorandum to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.