Apply for permit before holding rallies - KL Mayor

Those intending to organise rallies in the city should apply to the Kuala Lumpur City Hall for a rally permit prior to the event.

This is to prevent incidents which may threaten public order, says KL Mayor, Datuk Seri Ahmad Phesal Talib.

He said upon submitting an application for a rally, City Hall would consider the request, based on the conditions of the event, date and venue of the assembly so as not to violate the law.

"In addition, the (rally) organiser should cooperate with the police in monitoring and controlling the situation to prevent incidents that could threaten public security or destroy public property during the rally," he told reporters at a City Hall Bowling Championship with the media here Sunday.

Ahmad Phesal said illegal gatherings could lead to chaos and disrupt the smooth flow of traffic in the city, especially during weekends.

Commenting on the #KitaLawan rally, he said: "If there are thousands of participants, 50 to 60 vehicles belonging to the participants will be parked illegally and this will definitely cause traffic congestion."

According to the #KitaLawan secretariat, it has decided that a rally in front of SOGO be held every Saturday at 4pm, even if the police detained the participants.

The rally is organised in support of Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is currently serving a five-year prison sentence after he was convicted of sodomising his former aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

In relation to this, Ahmad Phesal said City Hall was forced to control the situation and take action against those who were party to any form of provocation.

Meanwhile, Sahdan Ahmad from City Hall and Maznah Abu Bakar of Bernama emerged champions in the men and women's category of the Bowling Championships.

With the win, both Sahdan and Maznah took home vouchers worth RM800 and a medal each.

The second and third placing in the men's category went to Mohd Isham Idris (Utusan Malaysia) and Pizan Mustafa (The New Straits Times Press) who each won a cash prize of RM600 and RM400, respectively.

In the women's category, Wan Syahrina Wan Ab Rahman and Noraida Mohd Anuar, both of Bernama, took home the second and third prize of RM600 and RM400 each.

Ahmad Phesal gave away the prizes. About 50 media practitioners took part in the Bowling Championship.