KUALA LUMPUR, July 9 — While Bersih 2.0 declared its rally today was a success as it drew a 50,000-strong crowd, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar said this evening that only 6,000 turned up.
Speaking at a press conference at the Bukit Aman police headquarters here, he also insisted that his men had acted professionally in keeping protestors at bay during the chaos that broke out in the capital city.
He said the protestors had mainly thronged Puduraya, Dataran Maybank and outside Stadium Merdeka, where Bersih 2.0 had wanted to hold its rally to call for free and fair elections.
During the protest, a total of 1,401 people were detained, including 1,273 men, 115 women, 12 boys and one girl.
“All detainees were treated well... we gave them food,” Ismail said.
When pointed out, however, that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had been injured, the police chief said: “Anwar Ibrahim was not at Puduraya... he was arrested.”
He added that they were detained for participating in an illegal rally, noting that the group had refused to hold the gathering outside the city, insisting instead on staging it at the historic stadium.
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