KUALA LUMPUR – Cheras police have arrested two more people in connection with the altercation at a Taoist temple yesterday, videos of which had gone viral.
The two men – one in his 30s and the other in his 50s – were arrested outside the Chee How (Wong Low Hen See) temple about 3.30pm today.
The duo were seen by media members being hauled away in a van and patrol car, with dozens of plain clothes policemen present at the site.
The police are keeping mum on the reasons behind the detention of the duo, but said more arrests are expected to come.
It is understood that police had given an unknown number of suspects about an hour to come forward and assist in its investigation into yesterday’s incident.
The Chee How Taoist temple in Salak South was a hive of activity today, with several high-ranking officials visiting the site along Jalan Sg Besi this afternoon in a bid to resolve a dispute that reached fever pitch yesterday.
Earlier, four people had been arrested.
Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim was initially scheduled to visit the temple at 2pm today but it was cancelled.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Azmi Abu Kassim, who arrived at the site about 1.40pm, spent about half an hour observing the area and being briefed on the incident.
Azmi did not speak to the media.
It is understood that Deputy National Unity Minister Senator Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal had also arrived at the temple to speak with devotees earlier today about 11am.
Although he cancelled his visit, Shahidan is expected to issue a statement on the matter tomorrow.
Members of the temple's committee had also declined to speak to the media, citing the incident as being under police investigation.
At the time of writing, dozens of policemen remain on guard outside the temple to monitor the situation.
Today’s visits follows the publishing of clips showing dozens of individuals attacking policemen and vandalising a backhoe outside the temple yesterday, which caused a stir on social media.
The incident is believed to have stemmed from a misunderstanding over works to build a hoarding fence for a route to a nearby school, with devotees fearing that the temple was set for demolition.
The fracas broke out yesterday during an operation to build the fence by the Kuala Lumpur’s Land and Mines Office in Cheras with policemen present.
Yesterday, Cheras police chief Muhammad Idzam Jaafar said about 30 Chinese men and women came armed with sticks and iron rods. He said the group stopped the operation, destroyed the bulldozer and attacked police at the location.
He also denied that the operation and police were there to demolish the temple.
“Police arrested four individuals aged between 19 and 50. The case is being investigated under Section 148 and Section 186 of the Penal Code.
“A video was uploaded on Facebook to exploit sympathy for the incident. Police are advising the public not to speculate, assume or come up with opinions that can confuse, agitate and threaten public safety.
“The Cheras police deny there was an attempt to tear down any temples in the incident,” said Idzam.
In the video, an altercation can be seen between the group of people and the police, and a woman filming the stand-off can be heard saying in Mandarin: “The police are hitting people! The police want to demolish our temple! Please share!”
However, another Facebook user, Randy Liang, refuted the woman in the first video, saying he did not see the police attacking anyone.
In his post, he claimed that it was the protesters provoking and attacking the police. – The Vibes, September 29, 2021
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