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.
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