DBKL to bill Bersih, red-shirts RM27k for damage, clean-up after rallies

Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) will send by the end of this week bills amounting to RM27,373.66 to the organisers of the Bersih 5 and red-shirts rallies on Nov 19 to recover the cost of landscape
damage and cleaning up.

DBKL socio-economic development executive director Mohd Saufi Muhammad said landscape damage was assessed at RM26,500 while the clean-up bill was only RM873.66 related to Padang Merbok.

He said DBKL would not hesitate to take legal action against the organisers of the two rallies if they failed to pay up.

"We know where the groups were as we have recorded their movement. So, based on the evidence we have and where they were, they have to foot the bills that we will send soon," he said to reporters after attending the closing of a three-month enforcement course for 88 trainees and two officers here today.

Mohd Saufi said DBKL was not responsible for the losses suffered by traders in the city centre who were allegedly affected by the rallies.

He was commenting on allegations that Bersih treasurer Thomas Fann had said that traders could claim their losses from DBKL as the authority ordered them to close their premises during the rallies.

"We did not issue such an order. We only issued a notice to the night market traders to close their stalls for their own safety, he said.

- Bernama