“Chong sustained injuries to the bone around her eye, teeth, lips, chin, and other areas, as well as facial bleeding.

“To make matters worse, Chong was charged under Section 186 of the Penal Code for obstructing a public officer in the execution of their duties,” PSM said in a statement on its Facebook page, adding that the injuries occurred when activists tried to prevent the forced eviction of farmers in Kanthan, Tambun, Ipoh.

The officer involved in the confrontation, Perak land and mines office, and its director have been named as respondents in the lawsuit that is scheduled to be heard on Aug 26.

Chong’s eye injury is reportedly so serious that corrective surgery could leave her permanently blind, so she has decided not to go ahead with it, she told a press conference today, as reported by Malaysiakini.

“If I opt for surgery, there is a high risk I could go blind, so, after consulting two doctors as well as (PSM chairman) Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj, I decided not to go for surgery.

“The injury will affect me for the rest of my life, but compared to being permanently blind, it is bearable,” she said.

On Oct 24, PSM committee member M Karthiges told reporters that the farmers had been handed an eviction notice on Oct 13.

It was stated that their farms were situated on land owned by the Perak Development Corporation and the farmers were told to vacate the land within a week.

During a protest to stop the Perak land and mines officers from carrying out the eviction order, Chong was allegedly shoved.

The officers cleared the crop while Chong was taken to the nearest hospital after sustaining injuries to her nose, mouth, legs and hands.

Police also arrested four people, including Devaraj, Karthiges, Perak PSM Youth member P Kesavan and a farmer identified as Ho Pon Tien.