While I was...

While I was curled up comfortably on the bed, while I was nicely having lunch and watching anime and dramas, while my friends were busy having fun, going out, hangout and stuff, thousands others were braving the rain, massive traffic jam and road blocks, threats by the police force and FRU, tear gas and chemical laced water cannon.

They just wanted to hand in a memorandum.

A peaceful gathering so that their voice may be heard and NOT ignored by those that mattered. The sea of yellow. Yellow warriors.

A peaceful gathering that was claimed by the government to be illegal because the police refuse to issue a permit for the said gathering. For those involved, it is claimed that this act goes against their right to have a peaceful demonstration, and instead it should be allowed WITH supervision of the police force.

They wanted a change.


Having not read Malaysia Today for the past week, I had no idea about the peaceful rally whatsoever. If it had not been for my friend, I'd still be oblivious of the things that had happened yesterday while I was 'chillin' at home.

The event made it to front page of Al Jazeera English. It was reported extensively by CNN, Reuters, International Herald Tribune, and Asia Sentinal.

And yet, I tune into thestar.com.my to find a very...short, summarized, and...one-sided report on the whole incident. No pictures, of course...

[edit] RTM's news report included footages of riots and demonstration that...totally unrelated. There were people injured and civilian acting very hostile in those footages but the thing is, none of them are related, NOR in Malaysia. What were they trying to depict, RTM I mean?

In some countries, if something happen in your capital city that triggers major roads to be closed and multiple roadblocks stationed at highway tol exits and causing massive jam practically throughout the city and having the task force to use tear gas and water canons to disperse peaceful march, it would have gone headline! No questions asked whatsoever.

But of course, full coverage was available at Malaysia-Today. I didn't have to depend on local news network that has been pretty much filtered by the gov.

Vid links, cuz I don't like posting youtube in my blog so it'll just be links...

Report by Al Jazeera:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q6558tY58E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TU3h3LoE5BM

And, Malaysia's Information Minister's take on the BERSIH Rally, interviewed by Al Jazeera:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1_GQ-K7P_w
(must watch this one)

CNN's report:
http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2007/11/10/vo.malaysia.protest.ap

BBC's report:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wB7MP1VYWhc

Mmmm...that's very not like me to post something like this. It's not that I never care, I do. Its just, usually difficult for me to express myself in this 'area'. Ah well /shrug.

With that..I shall call it a night, err...day. 'nites'. /yawns