To ensure safety of her family, Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah said she has been forced to take precautionary measures.

She said she will install closed-circuit television (CCTV) and hire a driver.

This follows the latest incident where her son's car, a silver Proton Iriz, was splashed with red paint.

"I need a driver and CCTV definitely. I will take precaution. I think I have been harassed to take precaution.

"But, they will not intimidate us," Maria told the media.

Maria said her son was very shocked that the culprits stooped so low as to splash paint on her son's car.

"This is very painful for him, as this is a new car," she said.

Earlier, Bersih and Suaram submitted a memorandum to inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar at the Bukit Aman police headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

An officer with Bukit Aman’s Public Communications Department, identified only as DSP Arshad, received the memorandum on behalf of the top cop.

Call to Bukit Aman to take charge

In the memorandum, the civil society demanded that Bukit Aman takes charge of the death threats and car vandalism case from Kelana Jaya police station, where Maria lodged her police reports originally.

They want a swift investigation to be conducted.

Maria, National Human Rights Society (Hakam) president Ambiga Sreenevasan and Bersih secretariat member Mandeep Singh had received death threats through doctored images spread on WhatsApp.

Also present at Bukit Aman were Amanah president Mohamad Sabu, its information chief Khalid Samad, DAP lawmakers Teresa Kok and Lim Lip Eng, PAS lawmaker Mahfuz Omar, activist Hishamuddin Rais, former Batu Kawan Umno division deputy chief Khairuddin Abu Hassan and Suaram executive director Sevan Doraisamy.

Gwangju Prize for Human Rights receiver and former Nepal Human Rights Commissioner Sushil Pyakurel also showed up at Bukit Aman to give Maria moral support.

"I am very much disturbed by these incidents. Lots of my colleagues are disturbed as well. We express our solidarity with Bersih.

"This is an attempt to silence the civil society's voice for reform, democracy and protection of human rights," Sushil said.

Ambiga said the level of threats hurled at Maria and the activists were more serious than the amount of threats they received during the Bersih 4 rally.

"Why are they so afraid of Bersih 5?" she asked.

"We are very surprised with the silence of the home minister (Ahmad Zahid Hamidi) and the inspector-general of police," said the former Bar Council chairperson.

"I hope we will hear from them, on whether such violence can be accepted by our society," Ambiga said.

Bersih also described the series of threats as acts of cowardice in a statement it issued today.

"Bersih slams these dispicable acts, which should be stopped. We call for immediate action against these thugs and criminals.

"We also demand immediate, round-the-clock protection for Maria and her family," the Bersih statement said.

The electoral reform movement claimed the series of violence were meant to stop the Bersih convoys, which are an awareness campaign for the Nov 19 Bersih 5 rally.

"We see these as violence and intimidation, with a political element.

"Bersih is their target, but these cowards only expressed their disappointment against Maria and her sons," it said.

Ambiga said the police should take steps stop the red-shirt rally from being held simultaneously with Bersih 5, since the red-shirts have already been behaving agressively.

This can be done under the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012, she said.