Blogger Wan Muhammad Azri Wan Deris, better known as Papagomo, allegedly pushed and kicked a Pakistani man accused of harassing two of his younger sisters and their friends. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, February 6, 2016.A volunteer group advocating for migrants’ rights has criticised pro-Umno blogger Wan Muhammad Azri Wan Deris, also known as Papagomo, for assaulting a foreign worker whom he accused of harassing his sisters, saying no one is above the law.
Migration Working Group (MWG) coordinator Jessica Low said Papagomo should have informed the police if he had identified the perpetrator and allowed the police to conduct their investigation.
The perpetrator, said to be a migrant worker, should be prosecuted under Malaysian laws if found guilty, Low said.
“Nobody is above the law and he (Papagomo) admitted that he knew that he was breaking the law.
“He shouldn’t have done it in that manner. Regardless of whether the alleged perpetrator is a migrant worker, Malaysian, a tourist or of any other nationality, you have to follow the laws of the country.
“If it is true, he (migrant worker) has committed the crime as alleged by Papagomo, then action should be taken against him but in accordance with the law.”
Papagomo was recorded on video slapping, pushing and kicking the man whom he accused of harassing two of his younger sisters and two other friends. The incident occurred on January 29.
The video has gone viral on social media and earned more than 50,000 likes and more than a million views.
Despite the assault, many Facebook users praised Papagomo for protecting his sisters.
Papagomo said the Pakistani allegedly harassed his sisters.
Low said Malaysians might sympathise with Papagomo because he said he would do the same thing regardless of the nationality of the perpetrator.
“But it is never right for anybody to take action into their own hands,” she said.
She added that police should be transparent and consistent in investigating the matter and lauded them for saying they would investigate the incident even if there was no report lodged over the incident.
“If they are investigating the matter, we applaud them and hopefully some clarity will be given to what actually happened.”
Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Noor Rashid Ibrahim said yesterday police would investigate Papagomo even if there was no report lodged against him.
Rashid said Papagomo’s action had undermined the police and everyone who broke the law should be taught a lesson.
Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) executive director Eric Paulsen described Papagomo’s action as “unlawful mob justice”, and said the act was a crime under the Penal Code.
“If the migrant worker had committed any offence, the victims should lodge a police report, not come back with a group of people to beat up the alleged perpetrator.”
He said police should hear the migrant worker’s side of the story, too.
“We still don’t know what exactly transpired but certainly we can’t encourage such mob behaviour.” – February 6, 2016.
Comments
Please refrain from nicknames or comments of a racist, sexist, personal, vulgar or derogatory nature, or you may risk being blocked from commenting in our website. We encourage commenters to use their real names as their username. As comments are moderated, they may not appear immediately or even on the same day you posted them. We also reserve the right to delete off-topic comments