PKR vice-president receives acid attack threat
UPDATED @ 04:47:24 PM 10-07-2012
KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 — PKR vice-president N. Surendran said he has received an acid attack threat which he believes to be from MIC members.
He believed the threat, sent by SMS this morning, was in response to recent criticism made against the BN component party which had been highlighted in Tamil dailies.
“I’ve just lodged police report on an SMS that was sent to me in which they have threatened to throw acid on my face if I continue to criticise MIC,” Surendran (picture) told reporters today after lodging a police report at the Travers police station here.
“We take this threat seriously because it is linked to MIC and they have a track record of violence towards the opposition,” he said.
The SMS sent to Surendran at 9.49am reads: “Deai suni jangan cabar mic. Deai punde lu buat lu punya kerja. Kalau lu kutuk mic lagi muka u simbah asid ok da suni (Don’t challenge MIC. Just do you own work. If you keep criticising MIC your face will be splashed with acid).”
Calling the threat a “serious offence”, Surendran said it was a violation of Section 506 of the Penal Code because it was a threat to cause grievous hurt upon an individual, which carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.
He added that it was also a violation of Section 507 of the Penal Code for causing criminal intimidation by anonymous communication, which could carry another two years’ imprisonment.
“So the persons who did this have committed a serious crime punishable up to nine years in imprisonment,” he said.
“I call upon the authorities to take immediate action on this because it’s serious and is political thuggery, violence and intimidation,” he added.
Also present was Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar, who said, “What we are seeing is an escalation of violence as we near the date of general elections”.
She expressed disappointment in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak for “no outright condemnation” despite numerous police reports lodged for violence against opposition leaders.
“If Barisan Nasional, if MIC, if Umno is against the political thuggery that has been committed, why have we not heard anything from the prime minister regarding this matter?” she asked.
