Civil society groups Article 19 and Civicus slammed the alleged use of force against another activist, Chong Yee Shan, who suffered injuries after she was reportedly shoved by an enforcement officer.

“Such actions by government officials must not be tolerated. The authorities must investigate the incident promptly and impartially and the perpetrator must be held to account,” said Article 19 senior Malaysia programme officer Nalini Elumalai in a joint statement today.

Civicus’s Josef Benedict said the “arbitrary arrests” highlight the challenging environment for human rights defenders standing up for land rights and for local communities.

“Their arrest was purely to intimidate and create a chilling effect for those seeking to halt the eviction. The government must drop any investigations into their actions,” said Benedict, referring to those arrested.

Yesterday, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) chairman Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj and three others were detained for attempting to prevent government officials from clearing the land at the Kanthan vegetable farm in Tambun.

Jeyakumar, a former Sungai Siput MP, said they were arrested for obstructing public servants after setting up a blockade.

The others arrested were PSM central committee member M Karthiges, Perak PSM Youth member P Kesavan, and a farmer, Ho Pon Tien.

All were released last night.

The farmers had been handed an eviction notice on Oct 13, stating that their farms were situated on land owned by the Perak Development Corporation and instructing them to vacate the land within a week.

However, the officers had arrived at the site earlier than expected with bulldozers and excavators.

Jeyakumar said PSM members and the farmers only managed to arrive at the location after the enforcement team had cleared a considerable area of farmland.