67. No blanket ruling on street rally permits

There is no blanket ruling that the police will not approve permits for street rallies, said Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Ismail Omar.

He said the police would consider giving permits if they know that the gathering would not jeopardize security in the country.

Speaking to reporters here after attending the launch of the "Talian Nur" by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Ismail said many factors had to be understood before blaming the law on street gatherings.

"We have to ensure that peace would not be compromised with. Our approach is always the same; all gatherings of more than five in public need a permit.

"The OCPD (district police chief) is the man in power, he will decide whether to give or not after monitoring the situation first," he said.

thestar 5/12/07