MORE THAN A DOZEN animal rights and welfare nongovernmental organisations staged a loud protest and carried placards against the Democratic Action Party's recent press conference with a self- confessed kitten killer last Sunday.
They are saying that it was not the business of the political party to get involved with an alleged criminal but instead the person should have been handed over to the police for a proper investigation.
The animal groups were shocked and outraged that no one from the DAP was present at their HQ to receive the protest memorandum addressed to the party's secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.
The building was closed despite the fact that the DAP was told as early as two days earlier that they would be turning up.
The DAP had reportedly promised that someone would be present to receive their memorandum.
Here is the document in full:
MEMORANDUM OF PROTEST
AGAINST: YB EAN YONG HIAN WAH AND YB TEO NIE CHING FOR THEIR DEFENSE OF THE SERDANG KITTEN KILLER
TO: DEMOCRATIC ACTION PARTY (DAP)
12 MARCH 2011
Introduction
Concerned and compassionate citizens of Malaysia are outraged by the senseless killing of a kitten in Serdang recently. A video widely shared on Facebook shows an umbrella-wielding youth brutally and relentlessly bludgeoning a helpless kitten to death. The individual is also seen tormenting another cat and kitten with her umbrella.
We are further enraged by the conduct of both Sri Kembangan Assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wan and Serdang Member of Parliament Teo Nie Ching in hosting a press conference for the killer in question. The said press conference, held on March 6th, 2011 was facilitated by the two DAP elected representatives to enable the individual, Chow Xiao Wei to confess and apologise for her heinous crime.
At the press conference, the two elected representatives urged the outraged public to forgive Chow for her vicious act as she was depressed and remorseful of her crime.
Ean Yong Hian Wah was also alleged to have said “It is JUST A CAT “to a caller furious about his defence of Chow.
Protest
Barbaric acts are unacceptable in a civilised society. There is in fact no justification whatsoever for the needlessly horrific and cruel act. The community at large views the participation of YB Ean Yong Hian wah and YB Teo Nie Ching in defending the perpetrator with great disappointment and disdain.
Chow Xiao Wei has admitted to bludgeoning a defenceless kitten to death. She had also confessed to severely injuring another kitten. Her acts of cruelty were inexcusable and unlawful. Cruelty against animals is a punishable crime under Section 44 of the Animal Act 2006. As elected representatives holding public office, both Ean Yong and Teo Nie Ching should well have been aware of the severity of Chow’s crimes and should have duly handed her over to the authorities for further action. To instead hold a press conference seeking a public pardon for a criminal is unprincipled and unethical. Their attempts to rationalize the cruelty with unqualified psychiatric assessments of the killer make them complicit to her brutal act.
As a society, we must call for a halt to the acceptance of cruelty to animals and enforce a policy of harsh punishment for these crimes. To allow individuals guilty of perpetrating such cruel acts to go unpunished or not sufficiently punished would be to sanction these horrific crimes and would permit them to go on to commit serious and violent crimes against humans. Widespread research has found that cruelty to animals is a precursor to violent crimes against human beings.
Animals in this country are constantly subjected to various forms of cruelty. They are either abused, neglected or are languishing in cages. Most crimes of animal abuse go unchecked, unreported and in most cases unpunished!
The protection afforded to Chow by Ean Yong and Teo Nie Ching has further added to the systematic failure of the authorities to deal with crimes against animals. The statement made by Ean Yong on the March 7th 2011 that, “Its just a CAT” solidifies the assumption that he finds nothing wrong in the killing of the little kitten.
The behaviour of Ean Yong and Teo Nie Ching is a degrading spectacle to the DAP. We expect broader sympathies from representatives of a party that propagates justice and rights. Do those principles not extend to other living beings? Is that because animals do not make up part of the voting public?
The negation of animals as sentient beings is so rampant in our society. It reflects that we, as human beings, are moving in a very negative and downhill direction. It is a serious indicator!! Respect and protection by the law for animals in all areas is where vital change must begin.
We strongly urge your party and its representatives to end all support and association with such inhumane acts. Please do not support animal cruelty.
Demands
We demand that:
· Ean Yong Hian Wah and Teo Nie Ching issue a public apology
· Ean Yong and Teo Nie Ching use their positions as assemblyman and parliamentarian to push for the prosecution of the criminal
· Ean Yong Hian Wah and Teo Nie Ching not be fielded as candidates in the next General elections
· Administrative and disciplinary action be taken against Ean Yong Hian Wah and Teo Nie Ching
· DAP issues a stern warning to all elected representatives within its party to conduct themselves in a professional, ethical and lawful manner in carrying out their public duties.
Submitted by Malaysian Animal Welfare Society (MAW)
Malaysian Animal Rights Society (ROAR)
Malaysian Animal Assisted-therapy for the Disabled and the Elderly
(PETPOSITIVE)
Lawyers for Liberty
UPDATES LIVE FROM JALAN PUDU IN KUALA LUMPUR:
#3: PETPOSITIVE SAYS: It has come to our attention that many believe that PETPOSITIVE had organised the group of animal activists that turned up at Ean Yong and Teo's press conference last Sunday.
This is NOT AT ALL TRUE. WE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THEM.
We wish to clarify that though our reporter Lynn Wong was at the event, she was only there on a fact-finding mission and to report to us on what was happening.
Wong and PETPOSITIVE had no part whatsoever to play in the rowdy group that threatened to harm the confessed kitten killer.
Nobody has the right to take the law into their own hands.
That is why PETPOSITIVE strongly feels that the DAP should have handed the animal abuser over to the police, instead of exposing the alleged criminal to a mob.
It is the police -- and NOT the DAP -- that can protect the woman. If she truly needed a psychiatrist, it is up to the court to decide on that action.
We wish to reiterate what we have always maintained about this case - animal abuse is a crime punishable by law that includes a six-month jail sentence.
It is not something that can be erased merely through an admission and a public apology.
Today's protest against the DAP was organised by PETPOSITIVE and other animal and legal NGOs who also had nothing to do with last Sunday's mob.
End.
#2: DAP IN HOT SOUP OVER KITTEN KILLER!
By Malaysia Chronicle
DAP is in the hot soup over a kitten killer! Animal lovers and rights groups plan to congregate at the headquarters in Kuala Lumpur and hand over a memorandum of protest to the party's secretary-general Lim Guan Eng to express their outrage after two of his elected representatives tried to shield the 21-year old culprit.
Earlier this week, Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching and Seri Kembangan assemblyman Ean Yong held a joint-press conference with Chow Xiao Wei, a former shop assistant who was captured on CCTV hitting a litter of kittens with an umbrella.
The five-minute video, which went viral, also showed her stomping the kittens to death.
All life is precious, animals have rights too
Chow's explanation was that she had been frustrated because of her parents' separation but she was rejected by animal lovers, who refused to accept her "excuses".
"Animal welfare groups are particularly outraged by Yong's statement that 'it was only a cat'," said Malaysian Animal Welfare Society's Shenaaz Khan in a statement released on Friday.
Her society and Lawyers for Liberty plan to meet Guan Eng at 11.30am at the DAP headquarters in Jalan Yew, Off Jalan Pudu, Kuala Lumpur. They have invited all animal lovers and humane Malaysians to join their protest.
They are also demanding that Ean and Nie Ching apologize for defending the kitten killer instead of handing her over to the police to be arrested and investigated.
By Malaysia Chronicle
DAP is in the hot soup over a kitten killer! Animal lovers and rights groups plan to congregate at the headquarters in Kuala Lumpur and hand over a memorandum of protest to the party's secretary-general Lim Guan Eng to express their outrage after two of his elected representatives tried to shield the 21-year old culprit.
Earlier this week, Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching and Seri Kembangan assemblyman Ean Yong held a joint-press conference with Chow Xiao Wei, a former shop assistant who was captured on CCTV hitting a litter of kittens with an umbrella.
The five-minute video, which went viral, also showed her stomping the kittens to death.
All life is precious, animals have rights too
Chow's explanation was that she had been frustrated because of her parents' separation but she was rejected by animal lovers, who refused to accept her "excuses".
"Animal welfare groups are particularly outraged by Yong's statement that 'it was only a cat'," said Malaysian Animal Welfare Society's Shenaaz Khan in a statement released on Friday.
Her society and Lawyers for Liberty plan to meet Guan Eng at 11.30am at the DAP headquarters in Jalan Yew, Off Jalan Pudu, Kuala Lumpur. They have invited all animal lovers and humane Malaysians to join their protest.
They are also demanding that Ean and Nie Ching apologize for defending the kitten killer instead of handing her over to the police to be arrested and investigated.
#1: Our reporter Lynn Wong reports that the more than dozen animal groups gathered at DAP HQ find the office completely locked with no one to receive their memorandum.
"This is not at all what we expected from the DAP after having alerted them about our event almost 48 hours earlier," commented a representative from an animal NGO.
"Is this what animal groups can expect from the DAP once they take over Putrajaya?" she asked.
Lynn says the groups are nonetheless going ahead with their protests to the half dozen members of the press gathered outside the building.
They are holding up their placards and issuing their statement.
End
DATELINE PETPOSITIVE THERAPY CENTRE, PETALING JAYA
ANIMAL LOVERS are getting more and more furious with two top Democratic Action Party (DAP) officials for holding a press conference for a self-confessed kitten killer last Saturday.
Although the duo, Seri Kembangan assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah and Serdang Member of Parliament Teo Nie Ching, claim they organised the event to serve only as a platform for the animal abuser and the public, animal rights NGOs are not buying it.
Many of them see the PC as "a cheap attempt by the DAP to gain publicity" over an issue that has greatly troubled Malaysians of all walks of life over the past few weeks.
The 21-year-old abuser had tortured two kittens and killed at least one of them. Ean and Teo only went as far as getting the kitten killer to apologise for her crime - instead of handing her over to the police to be arrested for her action.
In a statement to PET+BLOGSPOT, Shenaaz Khan the president of the Malaysian Animal Welfare Society that is one of the NGOs organising today's protest at the DAP headquarters in Kuala Lumpur said: "The frightful impact of each blow the poor innocent kitten received before it was reduced to a mere corpse cannot be expunged by a public confession or apology.
"We are protesting against the two DAP representatives because we see their support of the killer as a form of abetment to her vicious crime."
Animal rights activist Daniya Subramaniam, 30, will be representing PETPOSITIVE at the protest later this morning.
"It is not an issue of forgiveness, the law must take it cause," the pet rescuer from Bandar Utama in PJ who has saved more than 200 stray dogs and cats from the streets over the past four years told PET+BLOGSPOT yesterday.
"The DAP should not disrespect the role of the law. I am going to the protest to make sure that proper justice is done for the kitten." She concluded.
Lynn Wong from Taman Tun in Kuala Lumpur agrees.
Lynn who will be reporting for PET+BLOGSPOT from the scene has been an animal activist for more than ten years. She has also been volunteering with PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) in Malaysia over an anti Kentucky Fried Chicken campaign and more recently on the setting up of an animal testing factory in Melaka in September of 2010.
Lynn who was also at Ean's and Teo's PC pointed out that she was very disappointed with the way that some of the animal activists behaved.
"Some of them were totally out of line," she said. "They were rude with their outbursts and even wanted to harm the animal abuser.
"Nobody should try and take the law into their own hands - we should never advocate commiting a crime to justify another one," said Lynn.
The memorandum handover to the DAP will take place as follows:
Date: Saturday (Today) March 12, 2011.
Time: 11.30am
Venue: DAP Headquarters, Ibu Pejabat Kebangsaan, Jalan Yew (off Jalan Pudu) KL.
All are welcome. For more information, please call Shenaaz at 016 295 6996.
Stay tuned to wheelchairant at Twitter for live reports.
PET+BLOGSPOT is the ONLINE BLOG of the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association or Petpositive. Our stories are CURRENT, ACCURATE and RELIABLE. We offer both local and foreign news on animals, disability and the elderly. PET+BLOGSPOT was first established in October 2007. Our hits since then are now 100,000 and ever increasing! PET+BLOGSPOT is updated daily. Kindly note that views expressed in this PET+BLOGSPOT are not necessarily those of PETPOSITIVE. You may also visit our Webpage by browsing: www.petpositive.com.my You can also find us in Facebook under PETPOSITIVE EMPOWERMENT. Please sign up as a FOLLOWER of this Blog if you haven't done so already in order to show us your kind support for our work. Thank you!
9 comments:
Dear PETPOSITIVE,
I am confused at what the animal activists are trying to achieve. The 'kitten killer' has come out to apologise, the MP provided her and her mother with the safe location to make her open apologies BUT you are demanding that the MP arrests them and hand them over to the polis?
In the first place, is the 'kitten killer' being hunted by the polis, wanted for arrest by the polis, evading polis arrest? Is the MP hiding them from the polis, giving them protection from the polis? Has the veterinary Department pressed murder charges against the 'kitten killer'? It looks more like the MP is protecting them from the animal activists mob who are out for blood, an eye for an eye, for their pound of flesh.
It seems like the animal activists are the ones our demanding for her blood. Are the animal activists only satisfied if the 'kitten killer' is mob lynched by the animal activists?
So where what do you really expect the 'kitten killer' to do? Make your stand clear.
The authorities are keeping silent about all this, adopting a hands off attitude. It is with them that the effort by the animal activists should be directed against. For the authorities to come out with clear legislation against animal abuse and the will to enforce it. NOT A WITCH HUNT LIKE TODAY!
azhar
Dear Captazhar,
Thank you for your comment.
Animal cruelty is a crime that is punishable by a fine and jail sentence.
Like other crimes, it is not something that can be confessed and forgotten.
Would the MP do this for a child abuser, murderer or even a rapist?
It is clear that animal rights do not count much in this country. And you definitely got it right that our authorities are not taking it seriously.
Anyone who watched the video of the kittens being abused will know what a horrendous crime it was.
You are also absolutely right tht the manner in which some of the animal activists behaved last Sunday was despicable and inexcusable.
Not all animal activists are alike so please do not lump them all together.
Today's protest memo is not a witch hunt at all.
It is clearly an issue that the DAP should not have got involved in.
We hope that we have clarified our position to you.
Kind regards,
Your anger over the cat killing incident is obviously misplaced. Animal activists should sump up the courage to protest in front of the Veterinary Dept and the Police who up till now have refused to take action nor press charges.
The MPs concerned has already made it clear that their role was merely providing the girl a platform to do the necessary and whether it is acceptable or not it is also not up to the animal activists as it also involves the public at large.
Perhaps, animal activists like PETPOSITIVE ought to educate their concerned members that issuing threats like breaking someone's arms and limps are criminal offence too. And, PETPOSIIVE should be the first one to lodge a police report over the physical threat issued to the girl just to show that you all have he same humanity towards man and human. Sadly, so far you have done nothing and it's disgusting for a member of public like me to see the aggressive and threatening attitude of the animal activists.
Dear anonymous,
You have got us confused with other animal NGOs, we're afraid.
Never once have we, in our statements, every threatened physical violence against the self-confessed "kitten killer".
Please don't lump all animal activists together.
We agree with you totally that those who threatened harm to the young woman had gone to the extreme.
But the DAP should take the blame for that by unnecessarily exposing the woman's identity to the mob and the world and thus endangering her further.
They claimed that they wanted to protect the abuser but everyone knows that only the police can do that - not a political party.
Regards,
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3462227/Would-be-MP-battered-family-cat-to-death.html
WHY CAN'T WE DO THIS?
go and catch all those stray animal..instead of protest..when u step on those shit..dont start cursing..so what is a stray cat..sooner later will be run over by cars/bike
Dear Anonymous,
Before you speak on a cat/dog being run down by a car eventually, have you put your thoughts together on what exactly is the scenario here in Malaysia pertaining to strays? And you want the relevant parties to go catch the strays and put where, in your house?
1. The number of strays versus the number of shelters / independent fosterers etc. is way too far apart. So, if we catch ALL the strays, where do you expect us to board them? Do you have a place that you can offer? And it will take a couple of years and proper fundings to ensure that the country is free from strays. That is by neutering/spaying the animal so it does not multiply. Do you know how much it cost per surgery? Are you willing to help the rescuers fund for this so we can be free from strays?
2. Do you know the extent of catching this poor strays and what happens upon catching? This involves medical check-ups/treatments/surgeries/food/cleaning/temporary lodging/rehoming etc etc etc. Have you actually tried doing that at least once in your life? Probably not cause probably you're just a plain human doing the 9-5, have a family, collect more richness and die a plain human being just like how you were born. Nothing else around you matters, correct?
3. I think as a human, being born in this world, every creature has to play its part and us, human, being superior to any other in this world, should have at least 5 cents worth of sense to ensure that this world works in the right way. If you think the cat/dog is gonna be run over by a car or bike, so what's the difference for it being killed by a human, i think it applies to you as well. One day you're gonna die, so what difference does that make if someone kills you a little earlier, correct me if i'm wrong..
Plus, there is an Animal act in Malaysia. So, why isn't the girl brought for a proper official hearing? Isn't that being disrespectful to the Malaysian Animal Law? If it is true that she has mental illness/depression, don;t you think that the relevant party should have helped her by surrendering her to the police for her own safety per say, then seek legal/medical/financial aid instead of exposing her even further and making decisions on behalf of the Malaysian Law? Also, if the CCTV did not capture her, there is a question mark that she would've not confessed, correct? And how sure are we that she has not done this sort of act before to animals? How sure are we that she being in that state of mind have not done such harm to a human being?
No one here is trying to make any issue 'BIG' per say. We only want justice for the harmless lil kitten.
And pls do not put down so many people out there who is trying their level best to clean up the country from strays by giving them a better life. Please do your part if can. Otherwise, just live a plain jane/john life for that matter.
Hi, can I ask what action towards an animal does PETPOSITIVE constitutes an abuse.
I have just compared PETPOSITIVE's reaction to two similiar of animal abuse with vast difference. The Ipoh MBI shooting of a companion dog to death and the killing of kitten recently. Are there any reason why the reaction should differ?
I also want to know from PETPOSITIVE what is animal abuse? Just trying to educate myself on other's POV.
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