EGYPTIAN AUTHORITIES FREE MALAYSIAN CITIZEN

From Kuzaimah Idris

El-Arish (Egypt), Jan 7 (Bernama) -- Ibrahim Mohd Azmi, a Malaysian citizen
who was arrested by the Egyptian authorities for being involved in a protest
demonstration here Tuesday, was freed at 3.30pm Wednesday.

A medical student at Bristol University, United Kingdom, he appeared tired
after having been detained for almost 15 hours at a police station near here and
the first thing he did on reaching back this port city was to call his family
back home in Malaysia.

He then rejoined the Viva Palestina convoy which is awaiting clearance to
continue its journey to Rafah on the Palestinian border before entering Gaza to
deliver humanitarian aid to the people there.

Interviewed by Bernama TV, he said he was thankful to be released and
described his detention as "not so bad" compared to other members of the convoy.

He said he was not given any food or drinks during the duration of his
detention and his handphone was also confiscated.

"Thank God, it was not too bad. Getting beaten when detained in a lock up
for up to 15 hours is quite normal. Without the handphone, I was incommunicado,"
he said.

In the incident which happened at 11.40pm (local time) Tuesday, more than 10
members of the 'Viva Palestina' convoy were injured, four of them seriously, and
seven were detained by the Egyptian police including Ibrahim.

The protest on Tuesday was reportedly staged by Viva Palestina convoy
members to protest against the decision by the Eqyptian government to bar 59
convoy vehicles from leaving here for Gaza.

Egyptian police were said to have acted strongly against the convoy members
three hours after the protest was staged at the entry and exit security point at
the port.

The four seriously injured were brought to a nearby hospital for treatment.


At the time of filing this report, the convoy is still stuck in the port
area waiting for the green light from the Egyptian authorities to make the 40km
journey to Rafah.

Negotiations on the matter between the Egyptian authorities, the convoy's
representatives lead by its founder George Galloway and representatives from
Turkey have ended.

In the end, Viva Palestina had to accede to the Egyptian's request to leave
behind the 59 heavy vehicles of the 220-vehicle convoy in Egypt.

Galloway said an agreement was reached to have them re-routed to Palestinian
refugee camps in Syria and Lebanon.

--BERNAMA