Mohd Ali Baharom has called off a protest slated for this Saturday in Taman Melaka Raya after being asked to do so by the authorities.

Better known as Ali Tinju, the Malay army veterans association president, said it is to respect the investiture ceremony by the Malacca governor, which falls on the same day.

"We have been advised by the police and government not to hold the gathering on Oct 10.

"As the leader of Gerakan Merah, I call on my supporters not to turn up on Oct 10 to respect the governor's birthday," he told Malaysiakini .

Asked if the protest would be held at another day, Mohd Ali said that has yet to be decided.

He also denied that he was going to hold a rally in the first place.

"I didn't say we were going to hold a demonstration. I said we were going to go ' jalan jalan makan angin ' (go on holiday). Is that wrong? As the rakyat, it is not wrong for us to go on holiday," he said.

The protest was called after three Immigration Department enforcement officers were assaulted on Sept 30 by what Ali claimed were 'Chinese gangsters'.

Ali, however, denied the gathering was racially motivated.

'We will not be silent'

He also said that thanks to pressure from his movement Gerakan Merah, more arrests have been made.

"We want all the gangsters involved to be arrested. If they are not, we will not be silent," he added.

In the Sept 30 incident, three immigration officers were attacked during a raid on an entertainment outlet in Melaka Raya.

Inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar reportedly said 19 immigration officers were surrounded by more than 40 'gangsters' during the operation.