The latest action by police comes two days after they had attempted to search Umany president Robin Yap Wen Qing’s house, which ended with his predecessor, Wong Yan Ke, being arrested after he started filming the incident on his phone.
Speaking to the media outside the police headquarters, Yap said that despite telling him that only central Umany committee members would be called in, police later contacted both current and retired leaders to report to the station as well.
“They did this even though they know how inconvenient it would be for the students to travel here (Kajang) during the current CMCO,” he said.
Yap was accompanied by the six Umany committee members who were scheduled to give their statement to police following the press conference.
Elaborating on the claim of excessive force by police, Yap said that when the plain-clothed officers called for backup, two uniformed police arrived, one of whom was armed with a gun.
He said that based on the principle of proportionality, police should only use proportionate force in their investigations and strive to cause the least amount of harm to citizens.
He called for the public to speak up against the police’s actions, and support those who have had their rights “stripped” by them.
After about 90 minutes of questioning, the six Umany committee members who had been summoned by police were allowed to leave the station, with Umany saying they had fully cooperated with the investigation.
They thanked the human rights lawyers who had accompanied them and the civil society organisations who had expressed their solidarity.
It was previously reported that Yap and Umany vice-president Tan Li Yuan were being probed by police for sedition and offences under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
Police began their investigation after the student body published a post on Facebook titled “Yang di-Pertuan Agong should not intervene in national affairs”.
Meanwhile, Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) condemned the police’s actions, calling it an infringement on the students’ right to free speech and expression.
“We are disappointed that the state continues to arbitrarily use the Sedition Act and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act to silence any unconventional opinion,” it said in a statement.