Thousands of Malaysians turned up yesterday, 10 November 2007, to participate in one of the largest peaceful rally in Malaysia for the past decade. Despite the warnings issued by the prime minister, UMNO politicians and the police, the people braved the rain to participate in the rally which was organised by BERSIH to call for reforms in the electoral system. The number of Malaysians attending the rally on this historic day is estimated to be 40,000 with other estimates going as high as 100,000.
The event was reported in various international media with the television coverage by Al-Jazeera showing the riot police firing water cannons and chemical-laced water into the crowd. As reported, the crowd was gathering peacefully when the riot police started firing the water cannons without warning and unprovoked. A recorded version of this coverage can be viewed here.
CNN and Reuters also carried the news in these online reports: "Teargas used on rare Malaysia demo" and "Malaysia police use water cannon at Anwar rally".
The local media played down the event and reported that there were only 4,000 participants in the rally. It is interesting to note that both the main English-medium newspapers used the same reduced figure. The emphasis in the reports in these newspapers is the inconvenience caused to the public which was due the actions taken by the authorities in the first place. The police had practically sealed off Kuala Lumpur by setting up road-blocks in numerous locations leading into the city. If such disruptive actions were not taken by the authorities, the rally could have proceeded without inconveniencing the public.
More reports are available at the following websites:
The event was reported in various international media with the television coverage by Al-Jazeera showing the riot police firing water cannons and chemical-laced water into the crowd. As reported, the crowd was gathering peacefully when the riot police started firing the water cannons without warning and unprovoked. A recorded version of this coverage can be viewed here.
CNN and Reuters also carried the news in these online reports: "Teargas used on rare Malaysia demo" and "Malaysia police use water cannon at Anwar rally".
The local media played down the event and reported that there were only 4,000 participants in the rally. It is interesting to note that both the main English-medium newspapers used the same reduced figure. The emphasis in the reports in these newspapers is the inconvenience caused to the public which was due the actions taken by the authorities in the first place. The police had practically sealed off Kuala Lumpur by setting up road-blocks in numerous locations leading into the city. If such disruptive actions were not taken by the authorities, the rally could have proceeded without inconveniencing the public.
More reports are available at the following websites:
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