KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 3 — Terengganu police have denied giving preferential treatment to the organisers or participants of RXZ Members 8.0, pointing to arrests and summonses issued during the motorcycle gathering as evidence that the law was enforced.
Terengganu police chief Datuk Mohd Khairi Khairudin said the force had remained professional throughout the event and rejected claims that those involved had received “special treatment”, Sinar Harian reported.
“As for the claim that the police gave participants ‘special treatment’, I do not think so.
“If they had received ‘special treatment’, we would not have taken any action. But perhaps the organisers felt responsible for helping them, and that was out of their own concern.
“For us in the PDRM, we carried out our duty to maintain public order at the venue and took action whenever RXZ Members participants committed any violations or road offences.
“We proved this by making arrests, detaining offenders and issuing summonses. So, I reject that assumption,” he told a press conference at the Terengganu police contingent headquarters today.
Police issued 1,850 summonses for various offences and seized 222 motorcycles under Section 64 of the Road Transport Act 1987 during the gathering.
Six people — four local men, a local woman and a 22-year-old Singaporean man — were also arrested and are expected to be charged under Section 42(1) of the Act.
Five people were killed in 29 road accidents recorded during this year’s event, compared with 11 accidents and two fatal cases during RXZ Members 7.0 last year.
Mohd Khairi was responding to claims that the organisers had received preferential treatment when helping participants deal with motorcycles seized by the authorities.
Addressing the increase in accidents during the gathering, he said the number of people attending the event compared with previous years also had to be considered.
He said large-scale events inevitably carried a risk of accidents, but police had consistently enforced the law and warned riders to take precautions.
“From the outset, we reminded road users to ensure they had enough rest, that their motorcycles were properly maintained and that the vehicles complied with the required specifications.
“As the responsible agency, we carried out our duties.
“We found that the fatal accidents were caused by the road users’ own negligence, such as not getting enough sleep, losing control or failing to concentrate,” he said.
Mohd Khairi said investigations found that none of the incidents had been caused by illegal racing.
“There was also one case involving a burst tyre, even though we had reminded them to ensure their vehicles were in good condition.
“Furthermore, none of the incidents was caused by racing. Instead, they resulted from the riders’ own negligence, such as losing control or falling asleep,” he said.
