by Harun Rashid
Oct 5, 2000 

"Ahmad, are you really going out to the track to watch the F1 race?"

"Yes, Aren't you?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I am a law abiding citizen, that's why."

"Well so am I. But what does that have to do with the F1 race?"

"It's an illegal assembly, that's what."

"How do you know?"

"I keep up on current events."

"When was it declared an illegal assembly? I haven't heard anything about it."

"It doesn't have to be declared. It is the law of the land. More than three, and its illegal."

"No, Ahmad, that isn't the law. The law says that you can have more than three people if you get permission from the managers of the track, and then get a police permit."

"No ... the law says that more than three is illegal, period. It's true there are some exceptions if someone goes and gets a police permit, but they don't give out permits anymore."

"That sounds rather stupid, if you ask me."

"Stupid or not, that is what is happening. I don't want to get arrested. One guy got arrested and they beat the daylights out of him. Some goon came into his cell with a ski mask on and kicked his backbone into pretzels. I don't need that."

"I don't believe it. The police don't wear ski masks."

"Yes they do, and you know it. Remember the police in ski masks at Anwar's house the night they arrested him?"

"Yes ... the UTK unit. They seem to use ski masks as part or their uniform."

"He was lucky he wasn't killed. Those guys don't play around."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you remember a couple of weeks after Anwar was arrested, they caught five Indians and shot them in the head."

"Yes, one of them was a woman eight month's pregnant."

"Those guys will kill you. They place dum-dums between your eyes."

"So, if I go to the F1 race they are going to shoot me in the head .. is that what you think?"

"Oh, no, no ... I feel if you are patriotic, and avoid these illegal assemblies you will not risk interfering with their work. Just avoid all illegal assemblies. It's that simple."

"Those five Indians, were they at an illegal assembly?"

"Hmmm ... no, they were at home, watching TV I think."

"That's not comforting news."

"I remember the very next night there was another incident in Kelantan. Six Indians driving down the road were stopped and shot in the head by the police."

"Was it the UTK again? Wearing ski masks?"

"Some said it was, and some said it wasn't."

"Who said it wasn't?"

"The Tumpat police. They said they did it."

"Who said it was?"

"All the witnesses at the scene, by implication. They all said there was an ambush by men in plainclothes after they had set up roadblocks. They stopped the van after letting it through one of the roadblocks, like it was caught in a net. A van came up behind the Indians. About ten men got out and killed all the Indians by shooting them in the head while they screamed for mercy. Then the van full of executioners drove away. A few minutes later the Tumpat police arrived and claimed all the credit."

"Who is right, the Tumpat police or the witnesses?"

"The Tumpat police, of course. What do a bunch of witnesses know?"

"What makes you think it might have been the UTK?"

"The shots to the head with dum-dum bullets. It seems to be their M.O. No other police carry that type of ammunition."

"M.O., ... what's that?"

"It's Latin for Modus Operandi, meaning mode of operation ... standard operating procedure. Police use it to tie different crimes to the same suspect. If the same disguises are used, and the same weapons are used in the same manner, the police observe this as a common pattern. Sometimes they name the gang involved by the weapons they use, as in the case of the famous Stryr gang earlier this year. They had stolen some Steyr rifles from the military."

"Hmmm ..."

"What are you hmmmming about? Are you having second thoughts about leaving the house now?"

"No. I was just thinking about something I read in the papers recently."

"What did you read?"

"Do you remember the two men who were taken hostage and killed during the Sauk incident?"

"Yes, what about it?"

"They were both shot in the head. The Ranger Medan was shot between the eyes."

"You don't suppose ...."

"I'm not accusing anybody. I wasn't there. I only know what I read in the papers."

"Was the UTK there?"

"Yes, and their man got a commendation and a promotion."

"What did he do to earn that?"

"The IGP said he was the one who got the men on the hill to surrender."

"Well, did he? I thought the general did it."

"How do I know? I wasn't there. It was an illegal assembly, and I don't go to those."

"You know, Mahmoud, you have convinced me ... I want to be a patriotic citizen, too, I'm not going to the F1 race either."

"Good ... if enough people stay away from these illegal assemblies the police will have less to do in order to prevent race riots."

"OK. Shall we stay home and watch TV?"