Catholic priest would choose jail over fine if found guilty of illegal assembly

By Debra Chong,
Assistant News Editor

June 16, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, June 16 — Rev Father Paulino Miranda could be jailed a year and fined up to RM10,000 for taking part in a candlelight vigil four years ago in Petaling Jaya near here despite a new law allowing public assemblies in Malaysia.

But the Malaysian Catholic priest has said he would rather be locked up than spend a single sen on the fine.

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Miranda is among 21 people on trial for taking part in an illegal assembly in Petaling Jaya on October 9, 2008 and refusing a police order to disperse, under section 27(5)(a) and section 27(4) of the Police Act 1967 which have since been amended and replaced with a new law allowing peaceful public rallies.

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“The whole thing was a candlelight vigil calling for the abolishment of the ISA,” Miranda said, referring to the recently repealed Internal Security Act, which had been criticised as an outdated law used to clamp down on dissent against the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government.

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/catholic-priest-prefers-jail-than-pay-fine-if-guilty-of-illegal-assembly

The Internal Security Act sounds familiar.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_Security_Act_(Malaysia)