KUALA LUMPUR: Some 200 lorry drivers gathered at the Sungai Besi toll exit this morning to demonstrate their support for a lorry driver who was beaten up on Jan 14 in Bukit Antarabangsa.
The lorry drivers from all over the country arrived as early as 10am to voice their demand for justice for the victim who was assaulted by a group of men claiming to be a Datuk's bodyguards and driver.
The Malaysia Truck and Lorry Drivers Association spokesman Hairi Md Ali said that all of the lorry drivers want justice for the victim.
"We just want the public to know that we are lorry drivers and not criminals. This is our source of income.
"We are not asking for anything else from the public, we just want to get some respect from members of the public, as it is not easy to drive lorries," he said.
Hairi told the press that the incident could have been avoided if the men had spoken with and discussed the matter nicely with the lorry driver.
"(The victim did not collide with) the Datuk's Mercedes on purpose. They could have approached him nicely and not beat him up right after the incident," he said.
Small and Medium Scale Entrepreneurs Association of Malaysia (Ikhlas) president Mohd Ridzuan Abdullah said that the Datuk and his “cronies” would be brought to justice.
"We urge the authorities to find the Datuk and his cronies and lock them up for what they had done to the victim," he said.