Dataran closed ahead of rally, no FRU deployment

DBKL has cordoned off the iconic square - one of the eight procession meeting points for the rally - until at least Sunday for 'renovation works'.

KUALA LUMPUR: Authorities have beefed up security in the capital and barricaded Dataran Merdeka ahead of tomorrow’s Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat rally at Stadium Merdeka.

A check by FMT this afternoon found that Dataran and nearby Jalan Raja have been declared off-limits. The Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) had also erected a signboard which read “the place is closed for all activities”.

Another banner stated that upgrading works were taking place at the iconic square.

FMT learnt that this was done at midnight and the area would be cordoned off until Sunday.

Tourists were also barred from entering the square, while traffic from Jalan Kinabalu was reduced to a crawl due to the sudden road closure.

Meanwhile, the police have deployed a mobile truck near the Sultan Abdul Samad building. A canopy was erected to serve as the police’s press conference spot tomorrow.

Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat’s organiser had earlier announced that the iconic square would be one of the eight procession meeting points and it would be led by anti-Lynas group, Himpunan Hijau chairman Wong Tack.

During the mammoth Bersih 3.0 rally last year, police clashed with protesters who gathered near the similarly barricaded square.

Last November, thousands of Himpunan Hijau supporters tried in vain to enter the barricaded Dataran and camped overnight along Jalan Raja after arriving at KL from the 14-day anti-Lynas trek which began in Kuantan.

Meanwhile, KL traffic police chief Rosli Mohd Noor said he did not receive any instructions to set up road blocks tomorrow.

The rally would be held from 2pm to 5pm, but the pre-rally countdown event would start at Kelab Sultan Sulaiman in Kampung Baru tonight.

The other meeting points for the procession towards the stadium include Brickfields, Masjid Universiti Malaya, Kampung Baru, KLCC, Jalan Sultan, Pasar Seni and Masjid Negara.

No FRU deployment
Kuala Lumpur police chief Deputy Comm Mohmad Salleh meanwhile said that the police would not be deploying the Federal Reserved Unit (FRU) personnel for the rally tomorrow.

He also confirmed that there would not be any roadblocks and road closures in Kuala Lumpur.

“The police will only facilitate the rally to ensure the safety of the participants as well as everyone involved. We are there to assist everyone involved so that the rally runs smoothly,” Mohmad told the media today.

He also said that there would be 40 police beat points at areas surrounding Stadium Merdeka to facilitate the rally participants.

“Our actions will be in the spirit of peaceful assembly. The rally procession will be similar to football fans walking to Stadium Merdeka. We are committed towards making this rally trouble-free,” he said.