Cover image via Imranrais Twitter
Low Yat: AG drops Sedition case against Ali Tinju saying there's no proof
The protest outside the Low Yat Plaza digital mall in Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, was almost turned into a racial riot by some quarters in July. One of those initially charged under the Sedition Act, Mohd Ali Tinju, later had the charges dropped.
Image via TMI
Image via The Star & Malaysiakini
Three handphone sellers fined RM1,800 each over Low Yat brawl
Image via SAYS
22 July: National Harmony Act might just be what Malaysia needs following the Low Yat fracas
21 July, 11.30am: "It wasn't Papagomo who uploaded new info on social media," says lawyer
Image via The Rakyat Post
20 July, 1.45pm: IGP allegedly asked Papagomo for RM20,000 to settle Low Yat arrest
Image via The Malay Mail Online
Image via The Star
16 July, 11.45 am: Bukit Aman police roped in to curb false information on social media sites
15 July, 12pm: Blogger Papagomo arrested under the Sedition Act for inciting Low Yat racial riots
Image via The Sun Daily
15 July, 11.30pm: Nazir Razak wants racism to be made illegal for nation's safety
14 July, 3.20pm: Ali Tinju arrested under the Sedition Act over the Low Yat Plaza incident
Image via Malaysiakini
14 July, 3.15pm: 22-year-old Low Yat Plaza theft suspect charged
Police escorting an injured man after the riot at Low Yat Plaza on Sunday night.
Image via SHIN CHEW
13 July, 10.20pm: Najib says social media is too "free" and suggests tighter Internet control
Image via The Malaysian Insider
13 July, 6.30pm: Police to probe into cop who released the accomplice without permission
Accomplice of youth involved in Low Yat fiasco released
Image via The Star
13 July, 2.00pm: Screenshots of police reports reveal attackers consumed drugs before entering the building
Image via Raja Mohd Shahrim
Image via Raja Mohd Shahrim
Image via Raja Mohd Shahrim
Image via Raja Mohd Shahrim
The police have also warned citizens to disregard any rumors concerning the fiasco that could be false. It has also been confirmed that the brawl was not cause by a racial issue.
13 July, 10.30am: CCTV footage acquired by police reveal stolen phone caused the Low Yat fiasco
Image via The Malaysian Insider
12 July: At 7:50pm Saturday night, a scuffle broke out between a group of seven men and sales clerks of OPPO store at Low Yat Plaza in Bukit Bintang. During the scuffle, electronics worth RM70K was damaged.
Image via WOB
The incident was caught on video by onlookers and shared on social media. As to the reason behind the scuffle at the Plaza, there are two versions of the story. According to media reports:
The local English daily further added that the commotion began earlier in the day when the mall's security guard caught one of the thugs shoplifting in the smartphone store and turned him over to the police. "His friend was not happy and called other people to go to the shop to damage products," The Star quoted Kuala Lumpur CID Chief Senior Assistant Commissioner Zainuddin Ahmad.
[The New Straits Times](http://www.nst.com.my/node/91834) while citing the CID Chief Senior Assistant Commissioner reported that "the incident transpired following the arrest of a suspected thief. The man was nabbed by the plaza's security guard, who then handed him to police. A friend of the suspect was upset with his arrest and called for the others to retaliate."
The reason the fight broke out between the group of men, [whom The Star addressed as "thugs"](http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/07/12/Melee-thugs-Low-Yat/), and sales clerks in the OPPO store at Low Yat Plaza, "after a group of youth returned to take revenge against the retailers who caught them shoplifting earlier on Saturday, reported The Star.
The second version of the story, however, has an entirely different angle. It comes from social media posters, some of whom claim to be present in the Plaza during the incident. According to them:
A group of seven people went to Low Yat Plaza to purchase a Lenovo smartphone, [wrote one of the social media users](https://www.facebook.com/socialmediaram/videos/vb.531241745/10152893407086746). He added that the seller claimed the phone is original and is not a clone or AP set. But after purchasing the phone, one of the guys in the group showed the phone to his friends and they claimed that it was cloned.
Upset at being duped, they retaliated against the retailer and smashed the glass display at the store, flipping over cabinets and smashing phones and other electronic products.
According to another user, the whole incident was about AP and original HP. Apparently the guy bought a phone earlier and claimed it was a clone. So he came back to exchange for an original one. The salesperson refused and the guy just grabbed an original phone and tried to flee. His friends joined in later and smashed that particular retail outlet.
Image via WOB
You can watch one of the videos of the incident, here:
SAYS independently cannot confirm any of the two versions. However, regardless of which story is true, there was a massive loss of property, RM70K, and the case is being investigated for rioting and mischief amounting to damage of property, said SAC Zainuddin.
Image via WOB
