KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 -- The law is “colour-blind” and so are its enforcers, the Home Ministry said today, promising action against law-breakers in the wake of the Low Yat Plaza unrest.
The Home Ministry (KDN) gave a further assurance that the police will go after all those involved in the events leading up to the riots, regardless of their ethnicity.
“PDRM will take action legal action against anyone found guilty regardless of their race, including individuals who steal, groups that assault and any social media user who spreads false news that can incite racism in multiracial Malaysia,” the ministry said in a statement, using the Malay abbreviation for the Royal Malaysian Police.
“KDN is colour blind in enforcing the law. Whoever is guilty will face justice,” it added.
The police come under the purview of the Home Ministry and have been swift in clamping down on those who caused the street disturbance at the popular gadget mall since Saturday.
To date, 19 people have been arrested for participating in the melee.
The police have urged others to surrender voluntarily for questioning and vowed to hunt down those who fail to do so.
An unemployed 22-year-old man Shahrul Anuar Abdul Aziz, said to be at the centre of the riots, was this morning charged with stealing a Lenovo smartphone costing RM800 from a shop in Low Yat.
National news agency Bernama reported that a 22-year-old man was arrested by police on Saturday on suspicion of theft at Low Yat Plaza.
The man’s friends reportedly reacted by returning to the same handphone store the same night and thrashing the place, causing an estimated RM70,000 in damages.
The commotion turned into a demonstration on Sunday night after several messages spread on social media resulted in scores of people gathering outside the mall reportedly to demand retribution.
Several scuffles broke out after midnight outside the mall, leaving several people injured — with three of them being journalists.
