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進入《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 Thousands rally in Malaysia calling for PM to resign
Malaysian protesters hold up banners reading Bersih （clean） during a rally in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. Photo: EPA
/ AP, Kuala Lumpur
Tens of thousands of Malaysians wearing yellow T-shirts and blowing horns defiantly held a major rally in Kuala Lumpur yesterday to demand the resignation of embattled Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.
The crowds were undeterred by a heavy police presence after authorities declared the rally illegal, blocked the organizer’s Web site and banned yellow attire and the logo of Bersih, the coalition for clean and fair elections that is behind this weekend’s rallies. Najib has been fighting for political survival after documents leaked last month showed he received about US$700 million in his private accounts from entities linked to indebted state fund 1MDB.
He later said the money was a donation from the Middle East, fired his critical deputy and four other Cabinet members as well as the attorney general investigating him.
Protesters in yellow Bersih T-shirts and headbands converged at five locations and were marching to areas surrounding the landmark Independence Square, where celebrations to mark Malaysia’s 58th National Day are to be held tomorrow. Police estimated yesterday’s crowd at 25,000, while Bersih said 200,000 participated.
Scores of riot police sealed off roads leading to the square, which authorities have said is off-limits to protesters. Two previous rallies, in 2011 and 2012, were dispersed by police using tear gas and water cannons.
Some activists carried canvas bags with the words “My Prime Minister Embarrasses Me,” written on them. Some held placards saying “We will not be silenced,” while others chanted “Bersih” and waved Malaysian flags.
In one area near the square, a comedian entertaining the crowd poked fun at Najib. Dressed in Arab clothing, he pretended to hand over a multibillion-ringgit check as a donation to a rally participant.
Najib slammed the protesters for tarnishing Malaysia’s image.
“Those who wear this yellow attire ... they want to discredit our good name, scribble black coal on Malaysia’s face to the outside world,” he was quoted as saying by national news agency Bernama.
Apart from Najib’s resignation, the rally, which was to go on overnight, is also demanding institutional reforms that would make the Malaysian government more transparent and accountable.
Worried that authorities might jam communications, more than 41,000 Malaysians have downloaded FireChat — a smartphone app that allows users nearby to communicate with each other when the Internet is down and which powered last year’s Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests, developer Open Garden said.
Malaysian Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed has warned police would take action if the rally turns violent or protesters break the law.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
