KOTA KINABALU: The Kota Kinabalu Journalists Association (KKJA) has expressed disappointment at the alleged snatching of press photographers’ cameras and deletion of pictures by police personnel while they were covering the shooting incident in Penampang Baru on Thursday.
KKJA chairman Jimmy Goh yesterday said it was vital for the public to be informed of what was going on around them and cooperation between the police and the media was vital to ensure such objective was achieved.
“Press photographers are just doing their job and snatching their cameras certainly is an act KKJA condemns.
“The media have always been very cooperative with the police and have a good working relationship.
“KKJA does not see the need for police personnel to be so high-handed. Many onlookers were snapping pictures or recording the incident with their hand phones.
“Why were the police not seizing the hand phones of the many bystanders who took or recorded the incident but instead targetted the press photographers? KKJA does not see what good will come out of snatching of press photographers’ cameras,” he said.
Goh on Friday met Penampang police chief DSP Ratan Kumar Singh at the latter’s office to voice on behalf of the Sabah press fraternity’s unhappiness over the issue.
“I went to see him to find out why the need for police personnel to act so high-handedly and DSP Ratan assured that he would investigate,” said Goh.
Goh said he hoped the the incident would not occur again and urged Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman to also investigate so that journalists could continue doing their job without fear.
“The press in Sabah has all along been very responsible in disseminating information to the public with facts and figures unlike the Internet where one just doesn’t know whether it is true or not,” said Goh.