Hi... the pup and I just came back from the rally and are super exhausted from all that running around but just had to share this. This will be a quick pictorial post.
Will write a full account tmr :)
11.30am - Arriving at Masjid Jamek LRT station area. Cops were station at every entry/exit of the station and well over the streets of the area. The entire section of Jln Tun Perak there was cordoned off. No vehicles in or out.
They had already started to check the bags of those who seemed suspicious. But at this point, they weren't at their rudest behaviors.
12.38pm - things started to tense up a bit. Not too sure what was going on, but we sought refuge on Burger King's second floor.
From up there, we noticed there were a lot of rakyat who were pretty in much in the dark and looked super confused at the whole conundrum going on.
Some cops were just chilling out at the sidelines....
Some helped out tourists who were a little lost...
12.52pm - The cops start to disperse the crowd. Everyone starts running
Most people were chased off this street and into the little alleys surrounding the area.
By this time, most shops had already locked down their premises. We were locked inside Burger King.
Then all of a sudden, a convoy of three vehicles appeared on the street. We could only assume that this was the reason why the streets were cleared off?
1.02pm - A group of lawyers (we later learnt there were some from the Bar Council) appeared on scene.
1.15pm - The journos and photogs start running down this street (towards Sogo, I think. I confess I was a little confused on which street was which, so if I am wrong with the street names or directions, please correct me. Thank you)
1.30pm - The FRUs created a formation in front of us at Burger King
They created a small barricade in the middle of Jln Tun Perak....
... and their commander was standing in a truck with a huge bell (I call him the clanger) and instructs them by going *clang clang clang*...
... then they ran to change to formation on the other side of the street....
Tadaa! I really wonder what was the point though....
Then all their trucks came as back up....
Something's going on down the street from us (Petaling St and Puduraya). Everyone starts heading over...
Cops had these HUGE zip tie thingies which they use as handcuffs instead.
2.00pm - The police arrested an Indian man. He wore a Bersih 2.0 t-shirt under his white shirt.
Interesting that they needed six cops to "arrest" this man. He wasn't even struggling or thrashing around. He barely resisted...
But as usual our cops were rough on him and the papz
2.35pm - I finally managed to make my way out from Burger King. The rain had just started then.
More things seemed to be happening down the streets. All the trucks rushed down town.
2.38pm - The cops arrest more people.
2.47pm - We could hear the Bersih 2.0 rally march past us from BK. The pup and I just ran out to join them. This time it was really pouring down on us.
Rain pelted down but it did nothing to dampen our determination and spirit!
3.05pm - We walk towards a t-junction at the end of the road only to meet up with another large group.
Not too long after this, the FRUs came to break the group up. We regrouped few minutes later only to have them back us up into a road and gas us.
We were quite lucky that we came prepared with gas masks. The tear gas stung us faces for a bit and made breathing difficult but I really pity the others around us who only had a hand towel around their faces for protection. We could hear them coughing and hacking profusely.
The St John's Cathedral was just there, so the pup and I sought refuge in the compound.
In the whole process of running for my life, I broke my watch :( One of my favorites too :(
At about 4.00pm we decided that we would walk down the street with our new friends and hopefully regroup with some of the Bersih 2.0 rally-ers. And just around the corner, we saw them coming, and in an even larger group!
4.04pm - we walked down Jln HS Lee and Jln Gereja towards Jln Ampang and we bumped into this gentleman IN A NECK BRACE! Mad respect!
Salut!
4.16pm - We walked down Jln Ampang and finally reached the Jln Sultan Ismail intersection.
We ploughed on through the streets of KL....
This is the amount of people behind us. I can't even begin to tell how many were in front of us!
4.27pm - Power to the rakyat!
We sat for a bit, then some in the group burst out in song - the national anthem!
To sing Negaraku along side my brothers and sisters in a fight, was exhilarating I tell you. Goosebumps and so much pride in me. I never felt THAT proud to be Malaysian.
4.43pm - This was when the last fight came. A police chopper hovered dangerously low above us. Initially we thought it was just trying to drown out the speeches but little did we know was, it was a distraction because less than a minute after that, we heard screams from the right (Jln Ampang) and saw FRUs on foot and in trucks charging at us.
YES. Charging at us!
4.45pm - We ran towards KLCC only to find that it was locked down. And guess who else was rallying with us? Anonymous :)
The FRUs really came down hard on us this time. We had no choice but to run for our lives.
We were on the inside, slightly safer than those who were still on the streets
But the cops showed no mercy. I later found out that it was during this time that the late Baharuddin Ahmad was suffering respiratory complications due to the tear gas bombs that were sent flying his way. Rest in peace, fellow warrior. You will not beforgotten!
Anyways, the pup and I laid low in the park and quickly changed our clothes at the public restroom while plotting a way to get home. We hung out at the park for easily 45 minutes but when we slowly left, we noticed that there were still cops surrounding the perimeter.
5.41pm - We made back to Jln Ampang and saw Mounted Police. I wonder why did they need them for...
All the cops were still there....
And KLCC was still experiencing a lock down. There was still no going in or out and rumors were, the LRT station downstairs had ceased operations. (this just means that the LRT lines are still running but no one gets in or out of the KLCC stop).
After a while, KLCC's doors opened again and we went in thankfully... had to wait for over an hour for them to reactivate the LRT lines for KLCC.
The pup and I finally got home at about 7pm...
Gassed, stomped on, pushed around and all that shit... we're still standing tall. We're still standing proud.
If you've read this, please help spread the word.
Thank you.
To all my brothers and sisters whom we had the privilege of walking alongside in the rally today - thank you for being a part of this, thank you for being the caring Malaysian we know and love, thank you for being selfless, thank you. The pup and I are truly humbled and honored to have walked along with you today on this momentous day. We marched peacefully, with love and patriotism. For liberty and democracy. This is the truth.
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