Royal Malaysian police cordoned an area during a protest against Najib in Kuala Lumpur. — AFP photo
A woman among arrested during the rally. — Bernama photo
KUALA LUMPUR: Twenty-nine individuals including six women were detained, believed to be involved in an unlawful assembly, organised by several groups in front of a shopping centre in the federal capital yesterday.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Tajudin Md Isa said in the incident at about 2.15pm, all the individuals nabbed were aged between 14 and 69.
“They are being investigated under section 143 of the Penal Code for unlawful assembly which is liable for imprisonment of up to six months or fine or both upon conviction.
“Investigations are also carried out under section 124 of the Penal Code, for activities detrimental to the country’s parliamentary democracy and could be jailed up to 20 years,” he said in a media statement yesterday.
He said the detainees would be brought to the court for a remand order to assist police investigation.
The illegal assembly which urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to resign, failed to get much support.
Bernama check found that not more than 100 people wearing black gathered to join the rally in front of a shopping complex at Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman here at 1.30pm.
Police were seen to have managed to control the situation and dispersed the participants at 2.45pm.
The shopping complex and several shop lots, which were temporarily closed prior to the rally, were reopened at 3.30pm.
Meanwhile, the situation at the federal government administrative centre today was calm and peaceful, with people taking advantage of the weekend holidays to spend time out with their families.
A check by Bernama found local and foreign tourists taking photographs around Dataran Putra where the Putra Mosque and Perdana Putra building, which houses Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s office, are located.
The atmosphere around the Prime Minister’s official residence at Seri Perdana Complex was also tranquil.
However, two mobile police stations were placed in the vicinity of Dataran Putra and Seri Perdana to monitor the situation following reports that various groups were planning to hold a rally without a permit in the area yesterday.
Putrajaya District Police chief ACP Rasly Hassan said police had refrained from mobilising more members in both these areas for fear of triggering panic among the public. — Bernama