Malaysian Rally Agreement in Doubt Amid Fight Over Venue

Posted July 7th, 2011 at 3:20 am (UTC-5)
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A deal aimed at avoiding violence at a rally in Malaysia on Saturday is in doubt amid disagreement between the government and rally organizers over a venue.

A loose coalition of opposition parties and rights advocates hopes to attract tens of thousands of people to the rally to press for electoral reforms ahead of elections expected next year. The organizers agreed at a meeting this week with the country's constitutional monarch to move the rally from the streets into a stadium to ensure order.

But organizers now say they have been unable to secure permission to hold the rally at their chosen venue, Merdeka Stadium in central Kuala Lumpur. They accuse the government of reneging on the agreement and say they will rally at the stadium anyway.

Police say they too must issue a permit before the rally can go ahead. A spokesman told the Singapore Straits Times newspaper that, once police receive an application, they will act in the interests of “internal security and public order.”

More than 200 people have already been arrested for actions in support of the rally, which the government says is illegal. The demonstrators are seeking measures to make the nation's election laws more transparent and guarantee fairness.

On Wednesday, the Asian Human Rights Commission based in Hong Kong said it is “seriously concerned” about the arrests and what it described as intimidation by the Malaysian government against the protesters.

The commission called on the government to release all those in detention and to permit the rally to go ahead as planned.