PPP members 'ambush' Malaysian Nanban HQ

Some 60 disgruntled People Progressive Party (PPP) members today "occupied" the headquarters of Tamily daily Malaysian Nanban to demand an apology over an article which allegedly defamed the party.

The five hour-long 'siege' which began at 2.30pm, saw the daily's reporter LK Raj - not the author of the allegedly defamatory article - assaulted, allegedly at the hands of several PPP members.

He claimed that he received five punches, injuring his head, his abdomen and right leg. He claimed that one assailant also made a death threat against him.

"The person threatened me, 'If you make police report, you will go missing'," he said when approached by reporters today.

He said that he feared for his life now that his identity will be  made known through the press.

PPP apologises

PPP members had gathered at the Malaysian Nanban office in Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur to accompany their leader M Kayveas, who met the daily's officials.
Malaysian Nanban officials said that the group was abusive and aggressive towards the daily's staff.
Kayveas told reporters that his party would take action against the assailants if they were found to be party members.
“I apologise to the management on (over) the incident,” he told his supporters after meeting the daily's officials.
He told reporters later that his large group of supporters had came on the invitation of the daily's management.
Nanban to take legal action
However, Malaysian Nanban director Ahmad Mydin Sikandar Batcha refuted this, claiming that it was Kayveas that had sought a meeting over the article.

Ahmad Mydin told reporters that the PPP crowd had behaved in an unruly manner and that the meeting with Kayveas was not very cordial.

He explained that the article, which appeared yesterday, had posed the rhetorical question of whether "5kg of rice and mutton curry resolves Indian problems?".

He said that the article was referring to PPP functions in Malacca, Johor and Kedah where free food to distributed to the poor.

"It is our job to publish news which contain (the truth)... If they are not satisfied, take us to court.

"PPP is part of the ruling party... Kayveas is a lawyer. He should understand the law," he said.

Ahmad Mydin added that his company will take legal action against PPP for trespassing into their property.