Police will not carry out preemptive arrests on Bersih leaders ahead of the electoral watchdog's Aug 29-30 overnight rally, said Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed.
Speaking to Sin Chew Daily today, he said this is because police consider Bersih 4 to be a peaceful rally despite the gathering being declared illegal.
He added that police would not use Taser guns on protesters or seek a court order to bar people from attending the protest.
"This time, police will not repeat the measures employed in the past.
"But police will need to be on standby to prevent untoward incidents. Police personnel will be stationed at all gathering points with water cannon trucks and tear gas.
"Police's duty is to ensure that participants adhere to the rules and prevent the situation from becoming chaotic," he was quoted as saying.
Nur Jazlan also said police would not simply arrest participants, and be flexible in how it handles the rally.
"This is as long as participants do not break the rules by setting up tents and blocking traffic. If the participants sit by the roadside or on the pavements, this would be tolerated," he added.
Although the high court declared Bersih as a legal NGO, Nur Jazlan pointed out it has not registered with the Registrar of Societies (ROS) and hence is still deemed an illegal organisation
"So a rally organised by an illegal organisation is illegal," he said.
The deputy minister also believes Bersih has a political agenda, with the opposition pulling the strings from the background.
He said the motive is to bring down Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and topple the government.
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