Police warn public to stay clear of illegal rally on Sunday

SHAH ALAM: Police yesterday warned the public not to participate in an illegal rally planned for Sunday at Padang Timur, near Amcorp Mall, in Petaling Jaya. The police chiefs of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor said personnel were on alert ahead of the protest against the recent fuel price hike.

Selangor police chief Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said the gathering would be deemed illegal as the organisers had not applied for a permit.

The rally is scheduled to be held from 10am and is expected to be attended by Parti Keadilan Rakyat adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who will then begin a nationwide tour to explain current issues.

"I have advised the (Selangor) Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim not to hold the rally on Sunday and to move it to a more suitable location, such as the Shah Alam Stadium or Malawati Stadium.

"Padang Timur, opposite Amcorp Mall, is small and a gathering there would cause traffic chaos," said Khalid after launching the community policing programme at Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors Sdn Bhd here.

He made the suggestion two days ago to the menteri besar, who had said he would consider the idea. However, until yesterday, there was no feedback.

Khalid said police were prepared and would take the necessary action if the rally, organised by the Coalition Against Inflation, went ahead.

Meanwhile, city police chief Datuk Muhammad Sabtu Osman said personnel had been mobilised to deal with Sunday's planned rally.

"Several locations, such as the Kuala Lumpur City Centre, Sogo and Dataran Merdeka, have been identified as meeting points and police will be deployed to these locations.

"We are working closely with our counterparts in Selangor as the organisers do not have a permit for this rally.

"We hope that the public will not participate in this rally," he said at the Senior Police Officers' College in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

However, Muhammad Sabtu also stressed that police would not resort to drastic measures to contain the situation.

One of their main priorities will be to ensure smooth traffic flow this weekend.