KUALA LUMPUR: All district and state police headquarters in the Klang Valley are on high alert.

The New Straits Times learnt that a notice on the alert was issued to all the district police chiefs yesterday and would take effect today.

According to a police officer who did not want to be identified, high alert meant full manning of the police's state (SCC) and district (DCC) police control centres. It is also learnt that military personnel would be stationed inside the SCC and DCC during this period.

The source also said it was possible that the high alert was in preparation for the mammoth rally protest against the fuel price hike tomorrow at Petaling Jaya's Padang Timur.

However, a senior police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, refuted this claim.
He said the high alert was part of a scheduled exercise to test the inter-operability of security forces and agencies.

"The exercise is part of the country's security exercise to prepare the relevant agencies in the event of riot, terrorism and disaster.

"All major countries in the world are conducting similar exercises after the Sept 11 attack. "

He said the exercise was also intended to gauge police resources during wartime and military resources during peacetime.

Meanwhile, civil society groups have issued statements calling on the government to reject any proposal to deploy armed forces to assist the police in maintaining public order during any rally.

"Any such proposal to deploy the armed forces wrongly conveys the impression that Malaysia is already in a state of crisis or in imminent danger of falling apart.

"We strongly urge the prime minister to assure the public that the army would not be deployed in civilian matters," said the statement.