Azizah says sorry to pixman - Star

GEORGE TOWN: Aug 6, 2008

PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail has apologised to a Guang Ming Daily photographer who was allegedly assaulted by a group of party supporters on Sunday.

Loh Huay Hoon, 25, said she received a call from Dr Wan Azizah at 11.40am yesterday.

“Wan Azizah said she was shocked to see a picture of me being attacked by a group of men in the newspapers,” she said.

Loh lodged a police report on Monday, saying she was kicked, choked and hit on the head by some of the men in the group.

The men had tailed her to the car park after a ceramah by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the Seberang Jaya Expo site.

“Wan Azizah said looking at the picture, she would also be afraid because the man was so huge.

“She apologised profusely many times and said PKR would conduct an internal investigation on the matter,” said Loh.

Dr Wan Azizah, she added, explained that the security personnel were jittery about security that night as somebody had found a bullet at the expo site.

“She said Anwar was also angry with the security personnel because they were strict with the crowd when the people tried to shake hands with him,” said Loh.

Loh believed she was attacked after an exchange of words with security personnel who tried to stop her from moving closer to snap pictures of Anwar.

She said the conversation lasted about five minutes and she accepted Dr Wan Azizah’s apology.

Meanwhile, Central Seberang Prai OCPD Asst Comm Dr Mohd Shah Hussin Shah said police were trying to identify the men who allegedly attacked Loh, based on a press photograph and would interview the person who took the picture.

Penang Gerakan condemned the attack and called for a thorough police investigation into the incident while Guang Ming Daily said it might take legal action against the attacker.

Penang PKR secretary Abdul Malik Abul Kassim said the party’s preliminary investigation found that the attackers were not part the usual group of security personnel.

He said one of the attackers was not among those who attended a briefing for security on Sunday before the ceramah.

“We do not deny that he was wearing a PKR uniform but that does not make him a security official,” he said, adding that the person could have been planted.