Police deny being in committee of botched Klang fireworks display

The police today dismissed allegations that they were in the organising committee of the Fiesta Gegar Klang new year celebration where aerial fireworks exploded on the ground and injured 14 people just after midnight on Saturday.

Klang Selatan Police chief ACP Alzafny Ahmad said the police were invited to a meeting once by the organiser, the Klang Municipal Council (MPK), on Nov 24 but did not participate in any other discussion on the matter after that.

He also said that MPK had not applied for a permit or referred the matter to the police or sought their advice on the fireworks display, giving the impression to the police that the celebration had been cancelled.

"It is the responsibility of the police to impose security control at every programme that involves the participation of the public.

"However, as there was no MPK application to stage a fireworks display, the police assumed that the celebration had been called off," he said in a statement.

Just after midnight on Saturday, some aerial fireworks exploded on the ground during the new year display at the Pandamaran Sports Complex, injuring 14 people, three of them seriously.

A newspaper yesterday quoted MPK president Datuk Mohamad Yasid Bidin as saying that the police were in the organising committee of the three-day celebration. - BERNAMA