Malaysia: Protesters against Malaysian PM ‘Najib Razak’ start marching.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - A mass street rally calling for Malaysian leader Najib Razak to resign over graft allegations is in full swing despite a dragnet that saw at least 13, including Bersih chief Maria Chin Abdullah being detained overnight.
The electoral reforms group preceded with the protest, that
saw supporters gather from 10am on Saturday (Nov 19) at Maybank Square in
Bangsar, and the National Mosque which is a short walk away from the iconic
Independence Square.
The arrests came hours after police and regulatory officials
on Friday raided the office of the activist group known formally as the Coalition
for Clean and Fair Elections, but better known as Bersih, the Malay word for
clean.
According to the pair’s lawyer, Bersih Chairwoman Maria
Chin Abdullah was detained as part of a police investigation into whether she
should be charged for the crime of attempting to undermine Malaysia’s
parliamentary democracy. The lawyer said police arrested Mandeep Singh, who is
secretary of Bersih’s secretariat, as part of an investigation into whether he
should be charged with rioting.
The editor in chief of Malaysian online news portal
Malaysiakini, meanwhile, was charged earlier Friday under the Communications
and Multimedia Act for uploading offensive videos with the intent of annoying
others. The videos posted in July featured a news conference by a dissident
from Malaysia’s ruling party calling on the country’s attorney general to
resign for clearing Mr. Najib of any wrongdoing relating to 1MDB.
“We are being charged for covering a press conference,” the
editor, Steven Gan, said.
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