April 28, 2012
Water
cannon trucks are positioned between Bersih supporters and Dataran
Merdeka, in Kuala Lumpur April 28, 2012. — Picture by Choo Choy May
KUALA
LUMPUR, April 28 — KUALA LUMPUR, April 28 — Police opened fire with
water cannons and tear gas on demonstrators who pushed through the
barricades in front of Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) leading to Dataran
Merdeka, resulting in chaos on the streets.
Some of the 15,000-strong crowd, led by PKR deputy president Azmin
Ali, broke down the barriers and moved towards the historic square,
leading to police firing chemical-laced water and tear gas canisters.
Police fired as far as the DBKL premises, which are across Jalan
Parlimen, and the move broke up the crowd at Dataran who fled
helter-skelter.
More than 30 were arrested and taken to be processed at the Royal
Selangor Club, which is the closest they have gotten to the square so
far.
“Police were forced to release tear gas when assembly participants
tried to break through the barricade,” the force said on micro-blogging
site Twitter.
Police are now headed down Jalan Tun Perak and Jalan Raja Laut, firing tear gas at protestors.
Both water cannons and tear gas have also been fired at Pasar Seni.
Orders are being given out for riot police to continue shooting water cannons and tear gas at the dispersing crowd.
Observers from law activists LoyarBurok say “tear gas was fired without warning deep and direct into the crowd.”
The crowd on Lebuh Pasar Besar also pushed down the barricades but
about 30 policemen armed with batons, shields and gas masks blocked
their path to Dataran Merdeka.
Riot police then fired water cannons and tear gas after they refused to heed orders to disperse.
Bersih chief Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan and other opposition leaders
including Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim were blocked by four police trucks
near the Sogo shopping complex.
But the trucks have since turned around towards Dataran Merdeka and
the group is now in front of the PAS headquarters on Jalan Raja Laut.
Although Ambiga left, the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders began an
impromptu ceramah to close to 2,000 who remained in front of the PAS
office despite tear gas filling surrounding streets.
At about 4.30pm, police finally dispersed the crowd but the opposition leaders have taken refuge inside the PAS headquarters.
Several hundred protestors had regrouped in front of the Coliseum and Sogo on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, facing off riot police.
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