Over 25,000 Malaysians demand electoral reforms

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Over 25,000 Malaysians demand electoral reforms

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Malaysian police have fired tear gas and chemical-laced water at thousands of demonstrators.

28 April,2012 12:26 pm

Thousands of pro-democracy protesters gathered in Malaysias capital Saturday to demand electoral reform, confronting a police lockdown that left the city a maze of razor wire and barricades.It is one of the Southeast Asian nations biggest street rallies in the past decade.Large crowds of people, many in the yellow colours of the reform movement, gathered at various points around Kuala Lumpur, intent on defying a ban on holding the rally at Independence Square in the heart of the congested capital.But a heavy police presence hindered access to the city centre, including about 2,000 armed police deployed around the sealed-off square as a police helicopter buzzed low overhead.Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said demonstrators were intent on marching to the square, but admitted the lockdown would make that difficult.Some of the demonstrators apparently breached the barriers and police began firing tear gas at them.The rally reflects concerns that Prime Minister Najib Razaks long-ruling coalition will have an unfair upper hand in elections that could be called as early as June.