Malaysia police douse election reform protest

Nearly 400 arrested as thousands rally in streets of Kuala Lumpur.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Police on Saturday fired tear gas and chemical-laced water at thousands of protesters calling for fair elections in one of the largest rallies in Malaysia in recent years.

Nearly 400 people were arrested during the demonstration in central Kuala Lumpur, the capital.

The protest was organized by the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections, a group of 84 organizations demanding an overhaul of the election system before a national vote widely expected to be held in June.

The coalition, known as Bersih — or clean, in Malay — argues that the electoral system unfairly favors the governing coalition, which has led Malaysia since independence in 1957.

The police estimated that 40,000 to 50,000 people gathered for the protest. Bersih organizers put the number at 250,000.

Swarms of protesters were kept out of Independence Square, the site of many parades and celebrations, by a court order issued Friday.

A rally in the streets around the square appeared peaceful until after Bersih organizers, who had pledged that they would not break through the barricades, instructed protesters to disperse.

A small group then appeared to breach the barriers, prompting police to fire tear gas and water laced with stinging chemicals at parts of the crowd.

Andrew Khoo, a lawyer and a member of the Bersih steering committee, said the organizers were “extremely disappointed” that people ignored their requests to disperse and instead broke through the barriers.

But he said the police overreacted. Prime Minister Najib Razak has introduced many reforms in recent months, after promising last year to improve civil liberties. However, critics say the legislative changes do not go far enough.

Activists decided to rally again Saturday because Bersih contends that recommendations for changes to the election system made by a parliamentary committee, established after a protest by Bersih last year in which more than 1,600 people were arrested, are unlikely to ensure the next election will be conducted fairly.

The Election Commission said it would carry out some of the parliamentary committee’s recommendations, like extending the campaign period to a minimum of 10 days and using indelible ink to stain voters’ fingers to ensure that people do not vote more than once.

But Bersih is demanding that senior officials of the Election Commission resign, that the voting rolls be purged of fraudulent names and that the election be monitored by international observers.