Demonstrators gathered at various locations in the capital city from noon yesterday in defiance of police order
RUNNING HELTER SKELTER: Protesters fleeing tear gas fired by police during a mass rally calling for electoral reform in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. The police arrested more than 400 people and used tear gas as a massive lockdown was imposed on the capital to thwart an opposition-backed rally demanding reforms to prevent some people being allowed to vote more than once in elections. — AFP photo
KUALA LUMPUR: Police yesterday arrested several political leaders and rally organisers including Datuk S Ambiga, who is the chairman of the outlawed group, Bersih, PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and Umno youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin for going ahead with yesterday’s rallies.
According to the police in their Facebook page, two vice-presidents of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Fuziah Salleh and Tian Chua, were also arrested for taking part in the illegal rallies.
They were picked up at KL Sentral station as they were about to join the rallies.
PAS deputy presidents, Datuk Mahfuz Omar and Salahuddin Ayub, were also arrested earlier at the same place for the same reason.
PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu, meanwhile, was arrested in Jalan Mahameru.
PKR advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was also at KL Sentral.
Khairy was leading a rally, by the group known as Patriot, in Jalan Bukit Bintang when he was apprehended by police alongside Umno supreme council member Datuk Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim.
In his tweet, Khairy said Umno Youth executive council member, Datuk Ahmad Zaki Zahid, was hurt when police fired tear gas at them.
He tweeted at about 4pm: “Have been taken to Pulapol. FRU tear gas straight at us. Exco @zakizahid hurt.”
Police said, 924 people were arrested as at 5.30pm, 49 of them women.
Demonstrators gathered at various locations in the capital city from noon yesterday in defiance of police orders, forcing the police to fire tear gas and water cannons to disperse them.
The locations include Dataran Merdeka, Pasar Seni, Jalan Hang Kasturi, Maybank Tower, Jalan Tun Perak, Jalan Petaling and KL Sentral.
Police said security personnel had repeatedly ordered them to disperse but were ignored.
Several shops around Bukit Bintang were closed due to the rallies but reopened at 3.30pm when police put the situation under control.
Meanwhile, Datuk Abdul Rahman Abu Bakar, the deputy president of the Malay right-wing group, Perkasa, said the group abided by the orders of the authorities.
“We were supposed to take part in the rally but Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali received orders from the police asking the buses carrying our members from Johor Baharu, Pahang, Perak, Kelantan and Negeri Sembilan, to turn back,” he said.
He said Perkasa decided not to go ahead with its planned rally because it did not want to create trouble. — Bernama
No comments:
Post a Comment