The arrest of more than 70 Falun Gong followers ahead of Chinese president Xi Jinping’s visit to Malaysia last month was carried out according to the law, not on anyone’s order, says city police chief Rusdi Isa.
“Falun Gong is an illegal organisation. As such, it is not permitted to carry out any activities.
“Under Section 43 of the Societies Act, enforcement action, including arrests and remand, can be taken,” he told a press conference here today.
Rusdi said Falun Gong is not new to the authorities, noting that he had dealt with it during his time as Bukit Aman’s criminal investigation department deputy director eight years ago.
As such, he urged the public not to assume that there was interference from third parties.
“We made many arrests. It was not just one or two people. Some were remanded for two days, others were remanded for three days,” he said.
He was responding to a question about the arrests on April 13 in Cheras, just two days before Xi’s arrival in Kuala Lumpur, as reported by Malaysiakini.
Falun Gong is a spiritual movement founded in China in the 1990s that combines meditation with a moral philosophy, but it is banned by the Chinese government and considered illegal in several jurisdictions.
Malaysiakini reported that plainclothes officers had raided a shoplot in Cheras where the group was meeting. Several detainees claimed they were released only after Xi’s departure.
Foreign nationals detained in the same operation were reportedly released in stages, with some allegedly held for more than 14 days.
