Recent NST report on Petpositive meeting with MPSJ

Uproar as council says officers have immunity Naveen Mathew Menon

N. Surendran, President of Malaysian Animal Rights and Welfare Association, is appalled by the Subang Jaya Municipal Council’s stand on the issue of the dog that was supposedly abused by the council’s dog catchers.

SUBANG JAYA: There was uproar when animal rights activists met city council officials here to discuss the reported cruelty of the council's dog catchers.

The activists walked out after they were told that the council intended to take action against the reporter and newspaper which wrote about the incident two weeks ago.

It had been supposed to be a friendly discussion, said N. Surendran, president of the Malaysian Animal Rights and Welfare Association (ROAR).

But they were appalled by the council's legal officer's reply to what action would be taken against those alleged to have maltreated a dog two weeks ago.

"He said the council will consider lodging a police report against the reporter and the newspaper as well as the people who told the reporter that council officers had mistreated the dog," he quoted the officer as saying.

It was reported on Nov 10 that an independent dog rescuer saw a group of five men, several in council uniforms, beating a dog and forcing it through the railings of a locked gate in Bandar Kinrara. She lodged a report at the Puchong police station.

The Society for the Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals (SPCA) then issued a report on the incident confirming that the dog was injured. It has since been removed from the dog pound and is being treated by a veterinarian.

Surendran said under the Animal Act 1953, any person who cruelly beats, kicks, ill-treats or tortures any animal is guilty of an offence and is liable to a fine of RM200 or imprisonment for six months or both.

He said the council's legal officer held that the term "any person" did not include council officers who, the officer claimed, are immune from prosecution. Surendran said the officer had stated that this was according to advice from the Attorney General's Chambers.

"Dr Abdul Rahim Ahmad, head of the council's Health Division chaired the meeting, at which three councillors were present.

"We implored the chairman and the councillors to dissociate themselves from the legal officer's threats but they refused," he told reporters.

Anthony Siva Balan Thanasayan, president of the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive) and Susan Khoo of Malaysians for Animal Welfare were also present.

Councillor Datuk Dr N. Subramaniam, who was at the meeting, said he was told the dog was diseased.

Petpositive secretary Shenaaz Khan said: "Irrespective of whether the dog was diseased, it was cruelly yanked from underneath a gate and sustained further injuries."