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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>2,000 stage peaceful protest against ISA
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->Kuala Lumpur - About 2,000 people joined a peaceful march organised by Hindraf in protest against the Internal Security Act (ISA) last night, in one of the largest of a series of protests to have taken place in recent months.
The march started off at about 7.30pm at Merdeka Square in Kuala Lumpur, with about 1,000 people shouting 'mansuhkan ISA' periodically, referring to the Malay word for 'abolish'.
More people joined in along the way, swelling the crowd to 2,000 and causing a massive traffic jam along the narrow streets, reported online newspaper Malaysiakini.
Police presence remained light throughout, the news portal reported, and the march ended peacefully at a Hindu temple opposite the Puduraya bus terminal at about 9pm.
The rally was part of a candlelight vigil organised by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf). Five leaders from the group were detained under the ISA after the group organised massive, unprecedented anti-discrimination protests last year.
Last night's anti-ISA march was the latest in a series of similar protests held this year, and was among the largest. Similar marches, rallies and candlelight vigils have been held in the capital as well as in other cities such as Penang.
While some have been peaceful, others have sparked clashes with police.
In January, protesters and police clashed when about 300 people defied a ban to gather and hold a vigil, also at Merdeka Square.
In June, about 2,000 people gathered at a stadium in Shah Alam, and earlier this month, protesters held a vigil after police arrested a prominent blogger, an opposition MP and a journalist under the ISA.
The blogger, Raja Petra Kamaruddin, has been jailed for two years, but the other two have been released.
The government has come under fire in recent months for its use of the ISA, including from Cabinet ministers. Critics say the government is using the colonial-era law - which allows for indefinite detention without trial - to clamp down on political opposition. But the government maintains that it is needed for national security and public order.
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->Kuala Lumpur - About 2,000 people joined a peaceful march organised by Hindraf in protest against the Internal Security Act (ISA) last night, in one of the largest of a series of protests to have taken place in recent months.
The march started off at about 7.30pm at Merdeka Square in Kuala Lumpur, with about 1,000 people shouting 'mansuhkan ISA' periodically, referring to the Malay word for 'abolish'.
More people joined in along the way, swelling the crowd to 2,000 and causing a massive traffic jam along the narrow streets, reported online newspaper Malaysiakini.
Police presence remained light throughout, the news portal reported, and the march ended peacefully at a Hindu temple opposite the Puduraya bus terminal at about 9pm.
The rally was part of a candlelight vigil organised by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf). Five leaders from the group were detained under the ISA after the group organised massive, unprecedented anti-discrimination protests last year.
Last night's anti-ISA march was the latest in a series of similar protests held this year, and was among the largest. Similar marches, rallies and candlelight vigils have been held in the capital as well as in other cities such as Penang.
While some have been peaceful, others have sparked clashes with police.
In January, protesters and police clashed when about 300 people defied a ban to gather and hold a vigil, also at Merdeka Square.
In June, about 2,000 people gathered at a stadium in Shah Alam, and earlier this month, protesters held a vigil after police arrested a prominent blogger, an opposition MP and a journalist under the ISA.
The blogger, Raja Petra Kamaruddin, has been jailed for two years, but the other two have been released.
The government has come under fire in recent months for its use of the ISA, including from Cabinet ministers. Critics say the government is using the colonial-era law - which allows for indefinite detention without trial - to clamp down on political opposition. But the government maintains that it is needed for national security and public order.
