230 People Arrested In Kuala Lumpur Lock Down

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Malaysian capital locked down for rally

KUALA LUMPUR, July 9, 2011 (AFP) - Malaysian police on Friday prepared to lock down the capital ahead of a controversial electoral reform rally which has triggered fears of chaos in downtown Kuala Lumpur.

Organisers had agreed to hold Saturday's protest at a stadium after complaints that a planned street protest could turn into a riot, but the deal was thrown into confusion after police refused to give the necessary permit.

Bersih organisers said the rally would now be held outside Merdeka Stadium, despite warnings from authorities who have already arrested more than 200 people accusing them of drumming up support for the event.

“We are heading for the stadium,” said Andrew Khoo from Bersih, an opposition-backed coalition of civil society groups that is organising the rally.

“We will keep our focus on the basic demands... which is to campaign for free and fair elections. We won't be distracted,” he told AFP.

Major roads in the capital will be closed from midnight Friday, public buses plying city routes will be diverted, and long-distance buses will be halted at terminals outside Kuala Lumpur.

Police have also obtained a court order to bar 91 leading activists from downtown areas.

“The police will take whatever action within their power to guarantee the safety and public security is maintained in this country,” federal police chief Ismail Omar told reporters.

Another police official said about 230 people have been arrested so far in the pre-rally roundup. Most have been released, but six people, including an opposition lawmaker, are being held under a security law that allows detention without trial.

Protests are illegal in Malaysia without a permit. Street rallies are rare but in the past they have drawn tens of thousands of people, with police using water cannon, tear gas and baton charges to clear the crowds.

Khoo condemned the police response as a “gross overreaction” and urged authorities to allow the protesters inside the stadium to preserve safety.

“It is such a breach of fundamental rights of freedom of movement. There is no risk to public order because we have always maintained this will be a peaceful gathering,” he said.

Authorities have insisted that Bersih choose another venue far from the capital.

“We want the groups to hold their events outside of KL to prevent the possibility of innocent people in the capital being caught between groups hell-bent to disrupt things,” said Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein.

Fears of clashes with police have grown as the youth wing of the ruling party has said it will hold a counter-protest outside the stadium despite that event also being declared illegal.

Among those detained, 26 people have been charged over their involvement with an unlawful society, which carries a maximum prison sentence of several years.

The protest is backed by opposition parties who complain they are the victim of underhand election tactics.

With national elections due by 2013 but expected to be held earlier, Bersih is demanding reforms including measures to prevent vote-buying and fraud, and equal media access for both the ruling party and opposition.

The Barisan Nasional coalition has ruled Malaysia for half a century but in 2008 elections a resurgent opposition made unprecedented gains, stunning the government and reshaping the nation's political landscape.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2011-07-09

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Malaysian authorities to block pro-reform protest

KUALA LUMPUR (BNO NEWS) -- Malaysian police on Friday announced that they are taking tight security measures ahead of a planned protest for electoral reform in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian National News Agency Bernama reported.

"Road blocks have to be set up at certain places to prevent troublemakers from entering the city," Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar said in a news conference. "We have information that the troublemakers plan to stage demonstrations and march at several locations in this city."

He added that there is an order prohibiting 91 suspected key leaders of groups intending to stage rallies from being in Kuala Lumpur. The order also covers the supporters of the key leaders.

Activists, however, remain defiant and are planning to hold the demonstration at the city's Merdeka Stadium.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the police are prepared to issue a permit to hold a rally on Saturday if it is held outside the capital. He reiterated that the police have banned assemblies by any groups in the capital.

"Since July 3, the police have been preparing for any eventualities and will take stern action against those who are still adamant about having it in Kuala Lumpur," he said.

Asked whether the armed forces will be involved in maintaining public order, he said the police was still in complete control of the situation.

"However, it will depend on the circumstances," he added.

According to Malaysia Kini news, the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) is still inviting people to join the rally to demand for free and fair elections. They said the authorities have put "obstacle after obstacle" to frustrate any form of cooperation.

"Having faced half-hearted offers of stadiums, arrogance regarding meetings as well as denial of permits, arrests, detentions and so much more," the organizers said in a statement. "We feel that we have done all that is humanly possible to demonstrate sincerity and good faith in dealing with the government - but we have only been met with reversed decisions and stone walls."

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-07-09

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Malaysian police fire tear gas at protesters, arrest

Kuala Lumpur - Malaysian riot police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse thousands of protesters Saturday from a rally calling for electoral reforms.

Police said they arrested 514 people including 36 women for participating in an illegal rally.

Tear gas was fired in at least three different locations within the capital Kuala Lumpur, which was locked down from midnight Friday. No injuries had yet to be reported.

Protest organizers had defied a police ban on the demonstration to demand an overhaul of electoral laws to be more transparent and fair.

Officials accused organizers of threatening national security and plotting to overthrow the government.

Authorities have clamped down hard on activists over the past two weeks, arresting hundreds of people and putting up blockades around the capital.

-- The Nation 2011-07-09

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Rally in KL Malaysia, 672 participants arrested. Crowd begins to disperse.Police fire another round tear gas at crowd /Nation