The organisers of a rally against the recent hike in fuel princes slated for this Sunday are urging the police to not bar the public from attending the event.

Anti-Inflation Coalition (Protes) secretariat member Aiman Athirah Al Jundi said in the past the police would set up road blocks, among other measures, to stop people from attending rallies.

"The police should not harass or do anything to frighten the public from expressing their grouses," she said.

protes suhakam arutchelvan aiman 030708 Aiman Athirah related this to Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) commissioner N Siva Subramaniam during a short dialogue today.

Tens of thousands are expected to gather at a field this Sunday to participate in what is billed as the ‘Protest of a million citizens’ against the sharp rise in fuel prices on June 4.

During a short ceremony in Kuala Lumpur today, Protes representative S Arutchelvan submitted a memorandum to Siva urging Suhakam to send monitors to the event.

Protes also called on Suhakam to ‘remind’ the police of their duties and respect individual rights to freedom of assembly.

Commenting on this, Siva said the July 6 rally was a "healthy programme" in the context of freedom of assembly and that the commission would contact the police to state their position.

"Suhakam has always been very consistent that people have the right to assemble," he said.

However, Siva said the commission would decide whether to send monitors as it was not a standard practice to do so.

"Previously, the police would say that public assemblies cannot be held because it would scare away tourists. In this case, this excuse cannot be applied. This activity would not be to the detriment of anyone," he said.

No police permit

Meanwhile, Arutchelvan stressed that the organisers took great pains to prepare security detail and logistics for the event which would include speeches, musical performances and poetry recitals.

"We can give our assurance that all the security details have been worked out. Its going to be a carnival for the rakyat. Lets hope the police won’t make it more colourful," he said.

The event would take place in Padang Timur, Petaling Jaya opposite the Amcorp Mall shopping centre. In addition to a 3,000-strong security force, mobile toilets, tents and food stalls would be set up.

Arutchelvan also confirmed that organisers did not apply for a police permit for the event since it was not needed based on Article 10 of the Federal Constitution.

"Previously, we have been ‘betrayed’ whenever we applied for one," he added.

In a related development, Selangor police advised PKR - one of the many parties involved in Protes - not to hold the rally this Sunday.

According to The Star Online , Selangor police chief ACP Khalid Abu Bakar met Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim two days ago to advise him against allowing the gathering at Padang Timur which is owned by the state government.

Khalid said the gathering may cause disturbances to pedestrians and motoristw, adding that organisers should hold the gathering in a stadium instead.