KUALA LUMPUR, Tues. - An Assistant Superintendent of Police told the High Court today of his encounter with the Al-Ma'unah leader Mohd Amin Mohd Razali in Bukit Jenalik, Kuala Kangsar, and his efforts to persuade him into surrendering to the armed forces.
ASP Abdul Razak Mohd Yusof, 38, said he cited a Quranic verse and a Hadis in his negotiation with Mohd Amin which started about 2pm on July 6 last year.
Abdul Razak, who is attached to the Special Forces Unit in Ulu Kinta, Perak, was brought to see Mohd Amin by one of the group members, Zahit Muslim, (who is also on trial) after they met about 30 minutes earlier at a stream near the group's base camp.
Upon meeting Mohd Amin, Abdul Razak said they shook hands.
Abdul Razak said being a person who has knowledge in silat and a Muslim, he asked Mohd Amin about the motives of his actions, but one of Mohd Amin's counsel Gobind Singh Deo objected on the ground that the reply would be hearsay.
Abdul Razak said he told Mohd Amin that he had done wrong, that he had given a bad name to Muslims by giving the impression that Muslims were terrorists and he cited a Quranic verse.
"I also told him that his actions had disgraced the silat community and that his action had given the impression that our country was weak and could easily be colonised by others," he said, adding that he cited a Hadis to strengthen his point.
Abdul Razak was testifying at the trial of Mohd Amin and 18 others charged with waging war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong at three places in Perak between June and July 6 last year.
Earlier, Abdul Razak said he was informed that two of the group members had surrendered to the armed forces and there were many others on the hill who wanted to do the same.
When he met Zahit at the stream, Abdul Razak said Zahit told him that he wanted to surrender and before they went up the hill to meet Mohd Amin, five members of the group went to see him at the stream to surrender.
He added that there were 16 members of the group at the base camp.
At the end of his negotiation with Mohd Amin, Abdul Razak said Mohd Amin agreed to surrender but he wanted to perform a prayer first.
While Mohd Amin was praying, Abdul Razak said he contacted his ground commander Mejar Fadzil Tajuddin via a radio set, telling him that the group members had agreed to surrender. He also asked for eight men to be sent up the hill to escort the members.
The order that he got was for the group members to come down the hill with their hands on their heads.
Under cross-examination by counsel Zabidi Mohamad, appearing for Zahit, Jamaludin Darus, Ibrahim Idris and Kamarudin Mustafar, Abdul Razak said the members refused to put their hands on their heads when surrendering as their family members were waiting down the hill.
Abdul Razak said he once again contacted Fadzil and he allowed the group members to let put their hands by their side.
After Mohd Amin had performed his prayer, Abdul Razak said Mohd Amin tried to influence his men not to surrender but after some discussion, Mohd Amin agreed on one condition.
"Mohd Amin wanted five men to surrender at a time and since I was short of manpower to escort five men at a time, I called all the armed forces on standby at the hill to come and help," he said, adding that it was after this telephone call that the Army Field Commander Lt-Jen Datuk Seri Zaini Mohd Said came with four armoured personnel carriers.
"When Zaini came, I saw the group members were scared and they started to grab their weapons," he said.
Suggested that he had succeeded in persuading the group members to surrender before Zaini came into the picture, Abdul Razak disagreed.
He, however, agreed that the group memebers had agreed to surrender themselves before Zaini came.
Under cross-examination by counsel Hasnal Redzua Merican, Abdul Razak agreed that the situation at the hill was calm when he first met Zahit.
Hearing continues.
Sourced from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-69798133/policeman-relates-encounter-trial.html
