Police arrested two men after a small group of protesters allegedly threw a water bottle at the officers while the remaining member of the group fled to the nearby Tabung Haji building.
The Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) then chased the protestors and after several warnings were issued, the water cannons were fired, hitting several bystanders that were resting on the sidewalk and at stalls near the Tabung Haji building.
The police then proceeded to surround the building and arrested the others.
OCPD Dang Wangi ACP Zulkarnain Abdul Rahman confirmed to reporters that the seven who had been arrested were aged between 20 and 40 and had been sent to police headquarters in Dang Wangi.
“They were arrested for refusing to follow police orders to disperse even though we had warned them several times,” he said.
He added that several individuals had thrown bottles and broken the glass of the police station (pondok polis) near the US embassy.
Earlier, hundreds staged a protest at the American mission to show solidarity with the Egyptians, urging the American government not to intervene in the uprising against its ally, President Hosni Mubarak.
The crowd from several non-governmental organisations (NGOs), as led by Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders, had earlier started marching from the KLCC mosque after Friday prayers to the embassy, a favourite venue for most protests.
The PR leaders included PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub and PKR Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Mohamd Akin. Banners with “We march with Egyptians” and “Down with Mubarak” were carried by supporters.
The protesters shouted “Destroy US” and “Long live the people” while marching under the scorching sun.
The protesters also labelled Mubarak a “pharaoh” and held placards linking him to Israel and the killing of Palestinians. Women and children also made up a big portion of the crowd, which also counted a number of Arabs among them.
A ten-year-old boy had to be carried when he almost fainted amidst the shouting the crowd.
The group wanted to hand over a memorandum to the United States ambassador, urging the US government to withdraw its military base from Egypt and let Egyptians decide their own future.
PAS’s Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad told the crowd over a loudspeaker that the march was to show respect to the Egyptians who had sacrificed their lives for democracy and justice.
After handing the memorandum to a representative of the US embassy, Shamsul told reporters that the memorandum calls for the US to pressure Mubarak to resign and urged all world leaders to do the same.
The Egyptian uprising broke out last week due to public frustration with corruption, oppression and economic hardship under Mubarak’s 30-year rule.
It has been reported that at least 140 protesters have been killed in demonstrations across the country especially after pro-Mubarak supporters opened fire on protesters camped in Cairo’s Tahrir Square.
The protests are part of the regional uprising inspired by the popular revolt in Tunisia which overthrew President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali last month.
Mubarak has been a major partner in the US-Middle East strategy and Egypt was the first of only two Arab states to have signed a peace treaty with Israel.
In an interview with American channel ABC yesterday, the long-serving president reiterated that he has no intention of stepping down and stressed that his resignation would bring chaos to Egypt.
Datuk Seri Najib Razak has called for an end to the bloodshed in Egypt and emphasised the importance of allowing its people to decide the future of their country.
However, the prime minister fell short of calling for Mubarak’s resignation. - Malaysian Insider
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