Members of Himpunan Hijau who were at Dataran Merdeka to collect one million signatures against the Lynas rare earth plant were yesterday instructed to remove a tent as well as chairs and tables from the area.

About 25 Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) enforcement personnel arrived at 7.20pm and said the items were there without permission and demanded that they be removed immediately.

NONE However, Himpunan Hijau members pointed out that the peak-hour traffic prevented them from bringing their cars to take the items away and after some discussion, they were allowed to temporarily move them to a pedestrian walkway.

DBKL assistant enforcement officer Abdul Rahim Ishak said the Himpunan Hijau activists were instructed at 2pm yesterday afternoon to remove their belongings, but they had not done so by the evening.

NONE "We (DBKL) have the right to confiscate the items but we have come just to ensure they remove them," he said.

Asked if Himpunan Hijau members were allowed to stay in Dataran Merdeka, Abdul Rahim ( left ) said such gatherings came under the jurisdiction of the police.

Himpunan Hijau chairperson Wong Tack sarcastically responded that DBKL would soon understand people's power once he has collected one million signatures.

"We are here not to fight against anyone. We just want to reach our target (of getting one million signatures)," he said.

600,000 signatures so far

Wong explained that the tent was sponsored by a good Samaritan who saw Himpunan Hijau members sheltering under a canvas from the rain last Friday.

NONE When asked why he didn't apply for a permit for the tent, Wong ( right ) said: "It's an unnecessary procedure."

However, he said the members understood that the DBKL personnel were just carrying out their duties, hence they gave their full cooperation.

Wong added that to date, 600,000 signatures have been collected and vowed to stay put in Dataran Merdeka and press on with the campaign.