Off the wire
China ratifies AMRO agreement  • 1st LD-Writethru: China adopts law spurring academic inventions  • Beijing police paying informants millions  • 1st LD: Egyptian court sentences Al-Jazeera journalists to 3 years in prison  • 1st Ld-Writethru: China amends laws to empower local legislatures  • Turk male nabbed in suspected connection with Bangkok bombing  • 2nd LD Writethru-Xinhua Insight: China confirms prisoner amnesty for WWII anniversary  • Security tightened in Malaysian capital as protestors rally for demonstration  • Feature: Commemorative concert marks end of WWII at UN headquarters  • 1st LD Writethru: Provincial religious official killed in attack in S. Afghanistan  
You are here:   Home

2nd LD: Security tightened in Malaysian capital as protestors rally for demonstration

Xinhua, August 29, 2015 Adjust font size:

Malaysian police has beefed up security as thousands of protestors began to gather here on Saturday for a demonstration.

Organized by the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections or Bersih, the demonstration is planned to last for two days starting from Saturday afternoon. Police said the rally was illegal and action would be taken against the organizers.

The government has prohibited people from wearing yellow- colored clothing containing the words "Bersih 4," the name of the rally, and all websites carrying reports that could undermine security and public order would be monitored by the authorities.

Five demands have been listed by the protestors, which are free and fair elections, a transparent government, the right to demonstrate, strengthening the parliamentary democracy system and saving national economy.

Some of the protestors call for the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is under pressure from allegations over fund embezzlement. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier that some 700 million dollars related to 1MDB, a debt-laden state investment company, had been transferred into Najib's personal account.

Najib has denied taking any public fund for "personal gains."

The country's longest serving Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, a former mentor of Najib, has openly called on him to step down, while Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said recently in a statement that the funds deposited into Najib's account came from donors instead of 1MDB.

According to a report of Bernama, Malaysia's state news agency, Najib described the organizers and participants of Bersih 4 rally as"shallow and poor"in their patriotism. Endi