By JULIA ZAPPEI,Associated Press Writer AP - Tuesday, December 11
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Opposition activists tried to gather at Malaysia's Parliament on Tuesday for a pro-democracy demonstration, but were thwarted by police wary of another in a rare string of recent protests.
The activists were attempting to submit a protest note to Parliament over a government-backed plan to amend a law that would extend the tenure of the Election Commission chief, whom the opposition claims is biased. Authorities say the accusation is baseless.
Demonstrators headed to Parliament from several directions, but encountered police roadblocks that caused traffic bottlenecks across Kuala Lumpur. It was not clear how many protesters were involved.
The attempt was the latest in a slew of public protests that have rocked Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's administration in recent weeks. Scores of activists have been charged with illegal assembly amid government warnings that such rallies would hurt national stability.
Authorities had declared Tuesday's protest unlawful, saying participants would face arrest. Malaysian laws forbid public gatherings of more than four people without a police permit. But the opposition-backed Coalition for Free and Fair Elections proceeded with the plan.
Police backed by trucks mounted with water cannons, which held their fire, detained at least 11 activists near Parliament, said police official Ahmad Sofian Yassin.
Many others were also trying to reach the area, said Hatta Ramli, an official in the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party who was among those arrested.
"We are arrested for no apparent reason," Hatta said. "There is no chaos, no riot, nothing."
Opposition leaders had insisted it would have been a small demonstration, unlike a Nov. 10 rally that drew some 30,000 people demanding electoral transparency ahead of national polls widely expected early next year.
That rally was followed by a similarly large protest by minority ethnic Indians on Nov. 25 to complain of racial discrimination and economic deprivation.
Police on Tuesday also arrested P. Uthayakumar, a key ethnic Indian leader who organized the Nov. 25 rally. He was being taken to a Kuala Lumpur court, but it was not immediately clear what offense he would be charged with.
"I'm prepared for the worst," Uthayakumar told The Associated Press.
Concerns about a government crackdown on dissent also mounted after immigration authorities at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport briefly detained Anwar Ibrahim, one of Malaysia's top opposition leaders, when he returned from an overseas trip Tuesday.
Anwar was informed that he has been placed on a watch list, but was freed after about 30 minutes and was trying to obtain more details, the opposition People's Justice Party said. Immigration officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
Prime Minister Abdullah has assured Malaysians he is working to resolve public grievances and ensure political and economic justice, but warned that street demonstrations would not be tolerated because they threaten public safety.
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Associated Press reporter Sean Yoong contributed to this report.
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