GEORGE TOWN – Penang police did approve a conditional permit for a chariot procession in conjunction with a mini-Thaipusam celebration for Hindu devotees in South Seberang Prai near here, Penang police chief Datuk Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain said.
He also denied claims made in a Facebook post that the South Seberang Prai district police chief had deliberately delayed the permit approval or did not approve such a permit.
“I would like to stress that the police force has never delayed any religious permit approvals. All religious permits requested have never been rejected. There are some conditions attached, and the approval for this permit was given with conditions, the event was not turned down,” he said at a media conference here today.
South Seberang Prai district police chief Lee Chong Chern was reported to have lodged a police report earlier against the owner of the Facebook account, David Marshel, a Seberang Prai City Council member after the allegations were uploaded.
Shuhaily explained that the conditional approval was given after taking into account feedback from the local community, public safety and concerns, and pointed out that the aim of the permit was to ensure public order and safety.
The case will be referred to the public prosecutor’s office once the investigation is completed, he said, adding that the case was being investigated under Section 500 of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998. – Bernama, May 8, 2023
