No permit for gathering

Saturday January 5, 2008


KUALA LUMPUR: No permit has been granted for the Gerakan Mansuhkan ISA gathering scheduled for today at Dataran Merdeka.

Police said roadblocks would be set up at main entrances to the city centre to prevent untoward incidents, while Jalan Raja will be closed.

Dang Wangi OCPD Asst Comm Zulkarnain Abdul Rahman said he had received a letter from the group informing him about the gathering, to be held at 8pm.

He then urged the organisers to fill up a form in order for him to consider whether to approve the permit.

However, ACP Zulkarnain said members of the group who met him on Wednesday refused to fill up the form.

“I received their letter on Monday and advised them to fill up the application form but they refused to do so,” he said yesterday.

It is learnt that Gerakan Mansuhkan ISA, an unregistered body, also did not submit any application to City Hall.

ACP Zulkarnain said police would take stern action against anyone joining in the illegal assembly and advised the public to stay away.

The gathering, which was to have been held at Dataran Merdeka on Dec 22, was postponed to today.

Gerakan Mansuhkan ISA president Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh said they would go ahead with the gathering despite not having a permit.

“We expect about 100 to 200 people to take part but there could be more people turning up,” he said.