KUALA LUMPUR: Batu Member of Parliament Tian Chua was sent to jail today after he withdrew his appeal against his conviction and a month's jail sentence for failing to obey police orders to vacate a restricted are at the Police Training Centre (Pulapol) in 2012.
A three-man Court of Appeal panel, led by Datuk Wira Mohtarudin Baki, ordered for Chua, 54, to serve his sentence beginning today.
After five years fighting for his case, Chua, in a statement today, said after long and careful consideration, he decided to retract his final appeal and will serve time.
In the statement, Chua said his acceptance of the prison sentence is "not an admission of wrongdoing but to highlight the wrongs of the government."
He said his charge was in connection with his presence in Pulapol, where he was detained that particular night and accused of committing an offense of trespassing a "Protected Area", namely Pulapol.
He labeled the decision to penalise him for being in the Pulapol compound as "absurd", as he said he was brought in by force and against his will.
"On April 28, 2012, I was arrested at the peaceful assembly of Bersih. And at that evening, together with some 500 people who had been arrested, I was sent to Pulapol.
"On that day, participants of the Bersih assembly not only were hit by tear gas and water canons, but many, including myself were slapped and physically assaulted during the process of the arrest.
"Nevertheless, I was not charged for taking part in an illegal assembly.
"Subsequently, I was convicted by the Sessions Court on Jan 24, 2014 and sentenced to one-month's imprisonment and a RM1,000 fine," he said in his statement.
On Jan 24, 2014, Chua, whose real name is Chua Tian Chang, 56, was sentenced to a month's jail and fined RM1,000 by the Sessions Court here after he was found guilty of refusing an order by DSP A. Rajagopal to vacate the place ,which has been gazetted as a restricted area under the Restricted Areas Orders 1975.
He allegedly committed at Pulapol, Jalan Semarak, at 2.30am on April 29, 2012, one day after the Bersih 3.0 rally.
His appeal against the decision at the High Court was dismissed on Nov 30, last year.