Kuala Lumpur (dpa) – Protesters danced and performed aerobics exercises in Kuala Lumpur Sunday after overnight demonstrations demanding the resignation of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.
The crowd in the centre of the capital remained peaceful and the mood was festive, despite the earnestness of their demand that Najib step down over accusations of corruption.
Some protesters even posed for photos with the police officers monitoring the demonstration areas.
Najib has been under attack, even from within his ruling party, since a July report in the Wall Street Journal suggested that 673 million dollars in his accounts had been misappropriated from a state development fund.
The government denied the accusations, and said the money came from donations by unidentified sources in the Middle East.
“We are happy that the police have maintained a healthy distance,” said Pang Chin Liu, a trader who was among the thousands of protesters. “We do not want any trouble, we just want to send out our message to the prime minister.”
Kuala Lumpur police chief Tajudin Bin Isa said authorities had not made any arrests since yesterday when the rallies started.
In the nearby city of Malacca, police have briefly detained on Saturday 12 people for wearing yellow T-shirts.
The Home Ministry issued an order Friday banning people from wearing yellow clothing, which has become the symbol of the anti-government protests.
Malacca police chief Chuah Ghee Lye said the detained people were released after giving statements.
