A lacklustre Black 505 rally

Maybe it is the haze or the scorching weather, but participants of the Black 505 rally, held in Padang Merbok here, left in droves as early as 4pm.

The surprising move came even before the speeches by prominent opposition figures and no calls were made for the crowd to disperse.

Although the crowd religiously turned up in black attires, only a quarter of the field was filled with some 10,000 rally participants.

Among those in was student activist Adam Adli Abd Halim who was charged with sedition at a Sessions Court last month.

Commenting on the poor turnout of people, Adam said it is still too early to say that the turnout is poor.

"It is just 3.30pm. We still have plenty of time. Besides, there are a lot of people outside the field. Maybe it is too hot for them to come inside," he said.

However, by the time Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim addressed the crowd around 5.30pm, half of the them were not around to listen to it.

For an opposition rally that is usually colorful and fierce, the Black 505 rally lacked life.

A participant, Mohamad Khamil Musa from Kuala Lumpur said the weather was too hot for him to stay until the rally is over.

"It is too hot lah...I could not stand it anymore. I am going back now," said the 23-year-old.

Another participant Manimegalai Supramaniam said she has also decided to go back early because of the heat.

"The weather is hot and there is no shady area around here. Besides, the haze is worsening. I might as well go back home," said the 45-year-old from Kajang.

The rally officially ended around 6pm with no major mishaps.

Kuala Lumpur Police Chief Datuk Mohmad Salleh said no arrests were made at Padang Merbok and the situation was under control.

However, several tents were erected at Padang Merbuk soon after the crowd dispersed as some participants are set to continue to press for the Election Commission's resignation.

Read our updates of the event on our Storify as it happens

Don't miss Astro AWANI's photo gallery