kkitsam was in court this morning on Day Three of the RPK trial and sends us this report:
I was there this morning. First time to court. Arrived there very early at 7.45am, wearing the uniform “I am with RPK”. The crowd grew bigger by the minute. From my chat with Marina, she said the cards sent to RPK on which were written “No to ISA” would not be passed to him. So from now on, I’m going to avoid that.
Our hero RPK arrived at around 8.30am. The crowd was happy to see him; some even said it’s better for him to be in court rather than in the Kamunting cell. I got to squeeze into the court room, and by 8.40am, the room was full, with many others standing at the back.
The trial started a bit late, at around 9.15am. In between, many people wished RPK, and Marina got to hold him as well. Of all the journalists there, only one reporter interviewed RPK (the only one foreign reporter) while the rest of them just sat there waiting for the trial to start. A few MPs came today - Ronnie Liu, followed by Lau Weng San - and surprisingly at 10.10am, Anwar and Azizah came in as well, much to the delight of RPK.
The trial took a break for 15mins at 10.25am, and I called it a day, went to work! Forgot to mention, during the trial, people were going out and others were coming in, non-stop. I guess there must have been around a hundred people, with 50 squeezed in the small room and others waiting outside for their turn to support RPK. A good show of support from all. Thank you everyone, a great day.
During the break, blogger Surind got a chance to meet RPK up close:
Meeting him today… for the first time after he had been ISAed… was enough to make tears come to my eyes and for me to drop my guard… for a while.
I had to step to the side after hugging him and looking him in the eye because I did not want him to see me emotional and to see my teary eyes and weakened facial expression. I could not speak for a while because I knew my voice would give away what was going on inside me.
Rakyat@Work takes up the story after the break:
Arrived at 10.30am. A crowd surged out of the court, cameras clickling away and I saw a journalist trip over. Something’s happening!
My word, the man himself - it was Anwar! He was rushing. A thought flashed through my mind: he’s supposed to be at Duta, right? I say, that’s why he’s rushing off.
It sure was a morale boster. I hope Anwar’s presence satisfies some queries about his support for RPK. Despite Anwar’s own tight schedule and a court case at Duta, he still made it a point to visit RPK; what more can one ask of him? Have faith, people. Be patient, and more importantly, don’t let anyone shake your commitment.
While the hearing is on, due to the packed court room, some other supporters were sitting out on benches in the compound. From a distance, it looked as if a group of people was waiting for some kind of cruise ship. I called it a “Cruise to A New Nation”. Shared that thought with two other ladies, and we jokingly agreed - just like searching for new freedom in a new nation.
“POWER! People’s Power!” said Marina, as she emerged from the court house at about 12.15pm today. She spoke with conviction and no doubt, she meant it. She is more determined than ever to secure not only the freedom of RPK but she knows in her heart, it also means freedom for the rakyat (that’s my own personal impression).
More energy and vibes could be felt around the compound today. Marina’s family and close friends ended the day with an interview carried out by a foreign media station.
Surind rounds off the day:
After the proceedings were over for the day, we said our goodbyes… and as the police were taking Raja Petra back in the van, RPK’s supporters and I stood by the gate with our two large banners, shouting “Free Raja Petra!” and words of encouragement and support. We could not see inside the van because of the tinted windows, but I knew he would have been smiling and waving to us
(anilnetto.com)
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