Traders around the city centre who allegedly suffered losses due to the Bersih 5 rally yesterday should file their claims against Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).

Bersih treasurer Thomas Fann said this is because the traders were given orders by DBKL to close shop during the rally, so they are to blame for loss of business rather than the Bersih protesters.

"They were directed to close by City Hall, so City Hall is responsible for the loss

"We advise the traders to make their claims against DBKL immediately," he told a press conference at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur today.

Fann said this when asked to comment on a Berita Harian report quoting the Lorong Tuanku Abdul Rahman Street Traders and Hawkers Association claiming that some 500 of its members suffered up to RM500,000 in losses after being forced to stop their operations yesterday.

DBKL's order was reportedly issued to prevent any untoward incidents during the Bersih 5 rally, which eventually saw some 40,000 of its supporters and 4,000 anti-Bersih red-shirts flooding the streets of Kuala Lumpur from Bangsar to KLCC without incident.

Other Bersih steering committee members also echoed Fann's call for traders to take up their grouses with DBKL, pointing out that business was brisk for the ones who stayed open.

Bersih deputy chairperson Shahrol Aman Mohd Saari noted that rather than closing shop and losing business, the traders should have instead stocked up for the expected large number of protestors.

The Lorong Tuanku Abdul Rahman Street Traders and Hawkers Association was one of three plaintiff who unsuccessfully sought an injunction against the Bersih 5 rally on Wednesday.

The Kuala Lumpur High Court on Friday rejected the application on the grounds of the late filing as well as failure by the three groups to demonstrate that previous rallies had caused damage to their shops and stalls.