Tear-gas clouded downtown Kuala Lumpur
yesterday as protesters stormed police barricades during a massive rally.
Riot
police fired tear gas canisters and turned chemical-laced water on crowds
estimated at up to 25,000 who had poured into the streets to demand electoral
reforms. At least 388 were arrested.
The
protesters engaged in running battles with police for hours, before they
finally dispersed.
The
rally was the third major demonstration organised since 2007 by Bersih, a
coalition pushing for electoral reforms ahead of the next general election,
which could be held within months. Bersih also staged protests in other parts
of the country, including Johor Baru.
The
Kuala Lumpur rally began in the morning as supporters, many wearing the group's
chosen colour yellow, chanted "Bersih" and "Long live the
people". They marched to Merdeka Square, stopping traffic along the way.
"We
want a change in the election system, we want a clean electoral roll and fair
elections," said property agent Manisegaran Karruppen, 52.
Organisers
had planned a sit-down protest along the perimeter of historic Merdeka Square,
having been denied access to the square itself by a court order issued a day
before the protest. The police had cordoned off the area, and thousands of
security personnel were on standby.
The
situation turned ugly later in the afternoon.
"The
message we are sending to Najib is that we must have clean elections!"
opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim shouted to a crowd, referring to Prime Minister
Najib Razak.
Soon
after, protesters nearest the barricades started agitating for entry. Some
removed the barbed wire and pushed past, triggering the police response.
Bersih
chairman Ambiga Sreenevasan later told reporters that "everything was
going fine until someone broke through". She said: "We want the
police to fully investigate all who engaged in violence. This was not what we
wanted at all."
Eyewitnesses
said protesters assaulted two police officers and overturned their patrol car,
after it hit three people.
In a
statement last night, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein commended the police
for their "professionalism and restraint shown under difficult circumstances".
He regretted Bersih's earlier refusal to broker a compromise solution of an
alternative venue.
"The
first responsibility of the police must always be to maintain public safety and
security," he said.
Teo
Cheng Wee and Lester Kong
The
Straits Times
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