Malaysian police fire water canon at Egypt protest

Protesters rally in front of the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur urging Washington to pressure Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to step down. (AP)

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Malaysian police have fired water canon on protesters in Kuala Lumpur who were calling for Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to step down.

More than 1,000 people protested outside the US Embassy in the Muslim-majority country’s biggest city, Kuala Lumpur, on Friday. They called on the United States to pressure Mubarak to resign immediately and prevent further violence during protests that have rocked Egypt.

Most demonstrators left within an hour, but police fired several rounds of water canon to force the rest to disperse. Several people also were arrested.

Malaysian police regularly break up protests deemed illegal.

Protesters, including many from Malaysia’s Islamic opposition party, carried posters that read “30 years oppression” and “Freedom for Egypt” and shouted “Down, down, Mubarak.”

Arab News

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