Peaceful assembly without Peaceful Assembly Bill!

Approximately 400 people gathered at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) Park this afternoon to protest against the Peaceful Assembly Bill, with police keeping watch from across the fountain without interfering while about ten park security personnel roved the periphery of the lively crowd and a man identifying himself as a security supervisor disrupted any attempts at speeches, slogans and press conferences.

In response to the supervisor’s interruptions, Wong Chin Huat (right, in yellow), who is one of three organisers, cheekily dispersed the gathering into "private gatherings", and referred to the 2pm event as a picnic rather than a protest.

Speaking to reporters at the scene, Wong said the point was to illustrate that public assemblies are banal, everyday occurrences and asked, "Why the moment you think about the country, it becomes illegal? What's wrong with being patriotic?"

Another organiser Maria Chin Abdullah said that it was not enough to amend the bill but that it should be dropped completely when asked about the cabinet's announcement today that the bill would be reviewed.