Malaysian police hold dozens ahead of rally

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian police have arrested dozens of people planning to build up support ahead of a mass rally for electoral reforms, activists said Sunday.

Police have stopped at least one talk to whip up backing for a planned July 9 rally since Friday and held some 70 people, mainly members of the opposition Socialist Party of Malaysia.

Two buses were stopped in northern and southern Malaysia on Saturday on their way to gatherings for the party’s weekend campaign, said party media coordinator Y. Kohila.

The campaign calls for an end to the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition’s five-decade rule and for support for the electoral reform rally to be held by activists and opposition parties in the capital Kuala Lumpur, Kohila said.

Most of those arrested were released after questioning but 31 people are still being detained in northern Penang state, Kohila said.

Six others were also briefly detained Saturday in Johor state in the south for handing out leaflets advertising the rally. A federal police official confirmed several people were questioned but could not immediately give further details.

Police and government leaders have warned people not to promote the July 9 rally, deemed illegal because it has not been sanctioned by police.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was quoted by The Star daily as saying the rally was an “act of betrayal” with organizers wanting to tarnish the country’s image.

Federal police chief Ismail Omar also called for the rally to be cancelled, saying it “can cause tension among the people” according to national news agency Bernama.

But K. Arumugam from electoral campaigners Bersih said the group was echoing people’s wishes for such changes as longer campaign periods and an end to allegedly widespread vote buying.

“We are committed to proceed with the Bersih rally,” he told AFP. “We are really trying to organize a proper, clean and peaceful rally… I don’t understand why the government is so scared.”

The youth wing of the ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) and protest group Perkasa, which promotes ethnic Malay rights, have said they will hold counter-protests on July 9 to support the government.

Bersih already organized a rally in 2007, getting some 30,000 people to participate. The rally, which at the time was the biggest in a decade, was stopped by water cannon and tear gas.