Crowds thronged Bukit Bintang in KL to greet New Year, cops issue RM1,000 to 12 for refusing to disperse

 

A policeman tries to disperse the crowd gathered for the New Year countdown along Jalan Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur December 31, 2021. — Pictures by Choo Choy May

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KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 1 — Scores of people thronged the capital city’s Golden Triangle here last night on New Year’s Eve to usher in 2022, ignoring the persistent drizzle and the government’s cancellation of countdown celebrations.

People gather for the New Year countdown along Jalan Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur December 31, 2021.

The crowd, estimated between 700 and 1,000 people, had gathered along Jalan Bukit Bintang from high-end mall Pavilion KL, to the Jalan Sultan Ismail-Jalan Bukit Bintang intersection, Dang Wangi police chief Assistant Commissioner Noor Dellhan Yahaya said today.

He said the crowd began to swell from 11.30pm, and peaked at midnight.

People cheer as they gather for the New Year countdown along Jalan Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur December 31, 2021.

Fearing the situation may spiral out of control, police personnel on duty stepped in to issue a general dispersal order.

“A total of 12 compounds were issued to those refusing to disperse the scene on our orders, each consisting of a RM1,000 fine,” he told reporters today.

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The crowd, estimated between 700 and 1,000 people, had gathered along Jalan Bukit Bintang from high-end mall Pavilion KL, to the Jalan Sultan Ismail-Jalan Bukit Bintang intersection.