Two Press Photographers Assaulted At Permatang Pauh By-election Nomination

BUKIT MERTAJAM, Aug 16 (Bernama) -- Two press photographers were assaulted by about 30 people wearing Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) T-shirts during the nomination for the Permatang Pauh parliamentary by-election Saturday, resulting in one of them taking a severe beating and losing his RM15,000 digital camera.
The mob had set upon Mohd Sairen Mohd Nafis, 26, of the New Straits Times Press (M) Berhad (NSTP), when he was photographing Barisan Nasional (BN) workers while standing on a four-wheel-drive vehicle.
He said the crowd pulled him off the vehicle and he fell to the ground and "I was dragged for about 15 metres before being punched, slapped and kicked in the head, hands, legs and body".
The assault went on for 10 minutes before Halim Berbar, a foreign press photographer, went to his aid, and Halim too was beaten up by the mob, Mohd Sairen said.
Both photographers were rescued by the police and Mohd Sairen, who was injured in the hands and body, lost his camera.
Deputy Prime Minister and BN deputy chairman Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who is the BN election director, advised both photographers to lodge police reports to facilitate an investigation.
"I urge the authorities to take the appropriate measures to ensure that such an incident is not repeated," he told reporters after a meeting with the BN election machinery in Jalan Tanah Liat, here.
Penang PKR secretary Abdul Malik Abul Kassim had given an assurance several days ago there would be no repeat of assault of journalists following an incident involving Guang Ming Daily photographer Loh Hooi Hoon who was allegedly roughed up by PKR supporters when she covered Anwar's ceramah (talk) here on Aug 3.
The by-election on Aug 26 will be a three-corner fight among Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah of the BN, PKR advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Angkatan Keadilan Insan Malaysia (Akim) president Hanafi Mamat.
It has been necessitated by the resignation of PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as the member of parliament for Permatang Pauh on July 31 to pave the way for Anwar, her husband, to contest the by-election and become an MP.

tunku : this is 2nd time or 3rd time journalist assaulted by pkr members. i think this journalist should boycott reporting about pkr for 7 days to protest. i am sure anwar camp will say that they were bn group wearing pkr's t-shirt(as usual). i have never seen any bn members bashing up journalist till today.gengster party.