Ex-army man: Razor wire should not have been used

The Star 

KUALA LUMPUR: The razor wire used to cordon off several areas surrounding Dataran Merdeka during the Bersih 3.0 rally should not have been used on members of the public, Suhakam’s public inquiry into the rally was told.

Retired army personnel Khairul Annuar Pawanchik, 60, said that some of the wire which had been used during the rally and identified as “razor blade barbed concertina wire”, was usually used in war zones and atop prison walls.

“I think the wire should never have been used. In my experience, it is the most dangerous razor wire,” he said yesterday at the Suhakam public inquiry into allegations during and after the April 28 gathering.

However, he stressed that he was not against the police but was “concerned that it would have injured the public”.

Khairul, who is a Red Crescent Society communication and reserve officer, was the third witness called before the panel yesterday.

He said that a person would need special gloves and sufficient training to remove the razor wire, adding that it would take five to 10 minutes.

While giving his account of the events on that day, he said he saw a group of 15 to 20 traffic police officers with the leading officer holding up his gun while on a motorcycle in between Quality Hotel and Medan Mara.

The inquiry, which began yesterday, is chaired by Suhakam vice-chairman Prof Datuk Dr Khaw Lake Tee and assisted by fellow commissioners Prof Datuk Dr Mahmood Zuhdi Abdul Majid and Detta Samen.

The two other witnesses, who also testified yesterday, were rally participant Kunabal K. Rajagopal, 58, and Baharudin Hashim, 53, who described himself as a “curious bystander”.

At a press conference later, Dr Khaw said tentatively 22 witnesses excluding police officers would be called during the inquiry.

The inquiry resumes on July 11.