IPOH — A cultural event at the Teluk Intan Leaning Tower in Perak last night where China’s national flag was waved in public is now under investigation for being held without a permit.
Perak Police chief Datuk Azizi Mat Aris said the event, which also involved a procession of decorated floats, took place from 8pm to 11.30pm yesterday, with approximately 400 spectators.
“Police have summoned the organisers to have their statements recorded and they will also be asked to submit the names of all their foreign participants, believed from China, to assist in the investigation,” Bernama reported him saying today.
Azizi said police received the report on the incident from a local man a little after midnight yesterday, and the case is being investigated under Section 9 (1) of the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 for holding a parade without a police permit.
It is also being investigated under Section 3(1) of the National Emblems Act 1949 for displaying a foreign national emblem in a public place.
Photos and videos of the event were uploaded to social media with posts asking if the scene was in China or Malaysia, with other posts expressed concerns about communist elements and urged police to investigate.
For the record, the flag shown in pictures and videos of the event is China’s national flag which is red and has five yellow stars, while the Communist Party of China logo is the hammer and sickle.
The event organiser, Guan Gong Cultural Association of Malaysia, today apologised on Facebook to all Malaysians.
Its chairman Soon Boon Hua said the waving of China’s flag was never part of the planned programme, and that those who waved the flag were not Malaysians but visitors from China.
The event called the International Guan Gong Cultural Festival is celebrated here annually, and has been held in various states, including Johor and Penang, he added.
Soon also said the Malaysian national flag is always raised at these events, and the same was done in Teluk Intan last night.
Viral images of the Chinese participants waving their national flag earlier prompted Perak PAs commissioner Razman Zakaria demanding an explanation from Teluk Intan MP Nga Kor Ming. – October 25, 2024