Protests more peaceful in other parts

A large group of Bersih 3.0 supporters and anti-Lynas protesters, clad in yellow and green shirts, came together in a rally at a park here.

The demonstrators, who started converging in Taman Gelora at 2pm yesterday, shouted slogans and gave speeches before dispersing 45 minutes later.

Kuantan OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Jasmani Yusoff said although the organisers did not have permission to hold the protest at the park, there were no untoward incidents.

Pahang Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob said the protesters were welcome to use the park as long as they did not flout the law.

In IPOH, the Bersih gathering at the Sultan Abdul Aziz Recreational Park, popularly known as the Polo Ground, went by smoothly with minimal police presence.

However, despite the two hours given by the Ipoh City Council for the protest, the demonstrators dispersed half an hour before it started to rain at about 4pm.

Wilson Ng, 25, and his friends lay face down on the cement floor for people to take photographs.

"We wanted to do something different," said Ng, adding that what they did was called planking.

In GEORGE TOWN, balloons and a Mexican wave by Bersih participants, including five who came dressed as ghosts to symbolise phantom voters, turned the gathering at the Esplanade into a carnival-like event.

After various speeches, including one by Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, the crowd dispersed peacefully at around 3pm.

In KOTA KINABALU, the Bersih group had to share Padang Merdeka with those attending a Safe City programme by City Hall.

The gathering was held peacefully in a corner of the field as City Hall continued with its programme.

The crowd, who entered the field just as the Light Strike Force Unit members were demonstrating a routine, followed the police's instructions to move aside.

In MALACCA, the area around Dataran Pahlawan field, where the Bersih crowd converged, took on a festive air despite the hot weather.

Although the field was sealed off for a brass band competition, the group marched around it, waving banners and placards. No untoward incidents were reported.

In JOHOR BARU, a City Council sports event at Dataran Bandaraya forced the Bersih crowd to line up along Jalan Lingkaran Dalam and Jalan Abu Bakar near Hospital Sultanah Aminah.

The rally was peaceful.

Malaysians in other cities like Osaka, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Paris, London and Taipei also gathered to show their support for Bersih.