Protesters at Dataran Maybank move to Dataran Merdeka
Published: 30 August 2015 12:48 AM | Updated: 30 August 2015 10:01 AM
Malaysian Insider
Police are set up behind the barricade around Dataran Merdeka. – The Malaysian Insider by Kamal Ariffin, August 30, 2015.After a peaceful night, Bersih 4 protesters in Kuala Lumpur are steadily re-grouping around Dataran Merdeka for the remaining day ahead until the end of the 34-hour rally before midnight tonight.
In Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, however, protesters who camped out by the beach in Taman Teluk Likas Dua, are already dealing with police who have come to stop their planned 6km democracy walk.
The scene in Kuala Lumpur continues to be peaceful so far, and police have not moved in against protesters here who have gathered around the the historic Dataran Merdeka, which will be the site of the 58th Merdeka Day celebrations tomorrow.
Yesterday, some 200,000 people were estimated at the rally's peak about 4pm, according to the organiser, electoral reform group Bersih 2.0, although police put the number at 29,000.
It remains to be seen if the rally, which is being held to demand institutional reforms, clean government, the right to process and measures to save the economy, can improve on the numbers it garnered yesterday. – August 30, 2015.
The Malaysian Insider is bringing live updates on the Bersih 4 rally here:
SUNDAY, 9.58am: Sabah Bersih participants prepare for their democracy walk to Kota Kinabalu city centre.
9.49am: Crowd at Dataran Merdeka swells as rally-goers from Dataran Maybank at Pudu make their way to the iconic square. Most are walking, but some have also taken the LRT.
9.30am: The singing of the national anthem, Negaraku, follows the interfaith prayers.
9.15am: Interfaith prayers are held after the morning exercises. A Buddhist monk, followed by three Muslim men, led in prayers according to their respective faiths from atop a lorry that is used as a makeshift stage for Bersih 4.
9am: Bersih 2.0 chairman Maria Chin Abdullah meets reporters at the protest scene near Dataran Merdeka.
Bersih 4 participants doing some light exercises led by Bersih 4 representative Ivy Josiah. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Melati A. Jalil, August 30, 2015.She says it is not entirely true that Malays are not participating in Bersih 4, in response to news reports that rally participants were overwhelmingly of other races.
"We can't discount that there is more non-Malay participation. But it's not like Malay participation is non-existent. This is a natural cause by all Malaysians, and we should not see it according to race," she said.
Meanwhile, military helicopters fly above the square.
After Maria speaks, Bersih 2.0 representative Ivy Josiah stands on a stage and leads hundreds of rally-goers in morning exercises and stretches.
A group of volunteers, dressed in Bersih 4 t-shirts, have also begun segregating waste collected in garbage bags at the intersection of Jalan Raja Laut and Jalan Raja.
8.30am: In Kota Kinabalu, as volunteers prepared breakfast for Bersih 4 protesters camping at Taman Teluk Likas Dua, police in both uniform and plain clothes have arrived and surrounded the campsite.
Police taking down some particulars from Bersih 4 protesters in Taman Teluk Likas Dua, Sabah. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Sheridan Mahavera, August 30, 2015.Some officers start moving in to talk to rally-goers ahead of the group's planned democracy walk.
Police also start taking down the identity card particulars of some Sabah Bersih participants.
8.20am: In the daylight, the work of some protesters during the night is now visible, with roads around Dataran Merdeka scrawled in coloured chalk.
Protesters scrawled slogans with coloured chalk on roads around Dataran Merdeka. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Kamal Ariffin, August 30, 2015.Protesters had drawn the Malaysian flag, as well as written slogans like "We want change", "We want clean and fair", "We want peace" and "Hey Malaysia, is (sic) time to wake up!"
Police officers have taken up positions behind the barricade around Dataran Merdeka.
7.55am: As protesters in Kuala Lumpur stir from an incident-free night on the streets, Bersih 4 in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah appears set for a deadlock between police and protesters who are determined to go ahead with a 6km democracy walk in the state capital.
A protester in Taman Teluk Likas II, Sabah is getting ready for day two of Bersih 4. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Hasnoor Hussain, August 30, 2015.Jalan Tun Fuad Stephens, which protestors had planned to use for the walk, is empty after police sealed it this morning.
Despite this and warnings from the police, people are still trickling in from distant parking spots for the walk.
7.30am: In Kota Kinabalu, police have sealed all roads that lead to the Bersih 4 campsite in Taman Teluk Likas Dua in Kota Kinabalu in anticipation of this morning's democracy walk.
Police had already warned protesters against proceeding with the 6km walk.
6.50am: PKR's Batu MP Chua Tian Ch
It's dawn and Muslims are following Gerakan Harapan Baru leader Mohamad Sabu in performing the 'solat subuh' morning prayers at the Dataran Merdeka. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Noel Achariam, August 30, 2015.ang, also known as Tian Chua, addresses a small group of protesters outside the Sultan Abdul Samad building.
Also with him is Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad who urged rally-goers to stay on for the rest of the 34-hour demonstration.
"I'm confident that Bersih 4 can draw a high number even though the hours are challenging," Khalid said.
Protesters who had slept on the roads begin stirring and are getting their things together.
6.44am: Some protesters are seen walking away from the main protest area around Dataran Merdeka. One of them said he was going home to take a bath but would likely return later.
Earlier, the rally-goers who were distributing free coffee to fellow-protestors said they had mixed 10kg of coffee powder in order to prepare 2,000 cups of the beverage.
The group help yellow posters which said "Tak Mau Duit Kopi", a colloquial phrase in Bahasa Malaysia that translates to "say no to bribes".
6.10am: Gerakan Harapan Baru chairman Mohamad Sabu is leading a group of rally-goers in the solat subuh near Dataran Merdeka. A cheerful-looking Gelang Patah MP Lim Kit Siang emerges from his tent, as other protestors stir.
5.30am: As dawn approaches, some Bersih supporters begin pouring out coffee, serving 2,000 cups of the beverage free to other rally goers who have spent the night sleeping around Dataran Merdeka.
At the intersection of Lebuh Ampang and Jalan Tun Perak, members and supporters of opposition party Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) have put up traffic cones to block the road where protesters are sleeping, and are urging motorcyclists, including policemen, to avoid entering the area and disturbing people.
"Everyone so far has been understanding when we turned them away, even the police," said PSM member and Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar.
4.15am: While many are resting on the ground or sleeping, a small crowd has formed around two rally goers who are using chalk and the pavement as their canvas to express their unhappiness with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Rally goers bedding down for the night near Dataran Merdeka. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Kamal Ariffin, August 30, 2015.One of their drawings shows a donation box with "2.6b" written on it, in reference to the RM2.6 billion donation channelled into the prime minister's accounts, a large portion of which was dep
Bersih 4 rally goers sleeping on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman in Kuala Lumpur. – The Malaysian Insider pic, August 30, 2015.osited before the May 2013 general election.
Najib is now under pressure to account for the deposit amid other alleged scandals involving his brainchild, debt-ridden state investor 1Malaysia Development Bhd.
Many more protesters are sprawled out on the middle of the road on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, a sea of yellow-clad bodies resting next to each other.
3.15am: Despite the rough sleeping conditions – some protesters are making do with newspapers and concrete pavement – no one can complain that they are going hungry.
Every few metres, rally goers are offering free food, from nasi lemak to fried bee hoon to sand-wiches. They said the food was sponsored by "major corporations".
Food and drinks are also being sold at makeshift stands, while 24-hour stores in the vicinity like 7-11, are seeing a steady stream of yellow-clad customers.
2.50am: Despite the lateness of the hour, young children are still seen among the protesters around Dataran Merdeka, some of them shouting "Bersih!" whenever groups of other rally goers begin chanting.
One family with young children had come from Port Dickson and said they were excited to be in the capital city for the marathon 34-hour rally.
Muslim rally goers praying near Dataran Merdeka. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Afif Abd Halim, August 29, 2015.Forsyn Soh, 41, had also brought along her daughter, aged six.
"I told her to stay at home, but she insisted on coming," Soh said, adding that this was the first time she and her family were participating in a street rally.
"I feel very patriotic coming to the rally. I'm here for the same reason everyone else is, for justice."
The Home Ministry on Friday evening before Saturday's rally officially banned yellow clothing and the words "Bersih 4" under the act.
2.17am: A civic education workshop is taking place outside the Kuala Lumpur City Hall building on the five-foot way along Jalan Raja Laut. A group of 20 are holding a mock parliamentary debate, mimicking a Dewan Rakyat session, on what should be done after the Bersih 4 rally concludes tomorrow.
Near the Sultan Abdul Samad building across Dataran Merdeka, DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang has pitched a tent where he is spending the night.
2.04am: President of the Malaysian Bar Steven Thiru confirms the arrests of several people in Malacca under the Printing Presses and Publications Act for wearing Bersih T-shirts.
PKR deputy information chief Ginie Lim had tweeted earlier that more than 20 people were arrested under the act about 9.30pm yesterday. "In Balai Banda Kaba now," she said.
1.05am: A medical team stationed near Dataran Merdeka says they have treated 13 cases of food poisoning about an hour ago. The cause was believed to be free packet drinks handed out to rally goers. Six patients were sent to Kuala Lumpur Hospital, among them two children below the age of 10. The eldest victim was a 52-year-old.
Sabah Bersih 4 participants clean up the beach at Taman Teluk Likas II, the venue of the rally in Kota Kinabalu. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Hasnoor Hussain, August 29, 2015.12.48am: Near the barricades around Dataran Merdeka, protesters are preparing to sleep, with some bedding down on sleeping mats while others are simply lying on the road using their backpacks as pillows.
Yellow banners put up by Bersih 2.0 around the barricades remind rally goers not to cross the line into the square. Nearby, other protesters have tied raffia around poles as a makeshift barrier to stop people from crossing into Dataran Merdeka.
12.30am: Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo of DAP is seen autographing Bersih 4 T-shirts and posing for photos with rally goers near Dataran Merdeka. There is minimal police presence and only traffic policemen at that. Some are seen near the Sogo shopping complex and also near the Swiss Hotel directing traffic.
12.09am: Protesters have pitched tents in front of the Masjid Jamek LRT station. Thousands of protesters are still outside the OCBC bank along Jalan Tun Perak stretching to Dataran Merdeka.
Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (centre) and his wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali leave the crowd near Dataran Merdeka, the venue of the Bersih 4 rally organised by electoral reform group Bersih 2.0. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Najjua Zukefli, August 29, 2015.- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/live-despite-putrajayas-numerous-attempts-to-stop-it-crowds-starting-to-gat#sthash.x1Tf3ua0.dpuf
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