SUBANG JAYA, 14 Sept 2008: Police have approved a permit for Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) to hold a gathering to celebrate Malaysia Day tomorrow from 7pm at the MBPJ Stadium in Kelana Jaya, near here, Selangor police chief Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar disclosed today.
However, he reminded the organisers that the gathering must he held in an orderly manner.
"They are responsible for ensuring that the gathering is peaceful and does not disrupt traffic flow so as not to cause public inconvenience in the vicinity.
"If they can gather peacefully in the stadium, there is no reason for us not to give them a permit, but there must be control as we do not want any untoward incidents to happen," he told reporters after launching a "Balik Kampung-Rumah Selamat" (Back to Village-Home Safety) campaign, here today.
The gathering, organised by PKR and the Selangor government, is aimed at celebrating Malaysia Day which falls on 16 Sept.
Khalid said any group which wished to organise a peaceful gathering, should apply for a permit so that police could control the traffic flow and monitor the gathering to ensure public order and safety.
On the "Balik Kampung-Rumah Selamat" programme, he said those who wished to return to their village or hometown for the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration needed not be unduly worried about the safety of their homes.
He said they just needed to go to the nearest police station and provide some details like the dates they would be away so that police could patrol their areas.
For the time being, he added, the campaign was targeting the Subang Jaya-USJ area, Putra Heights and Bandar Sunway, as a result of cooperation between the USJ Residents’ Association and Subang Jaya district police headquarters.
Khalid said the initiative was to increase safety awareness within the local communities and he urged other residents’ associations to work with the police to ensure safety of homes, especially during the festive season.
He said for last year’s festive season, about 300 residents here were involved in the programme, with no crime cases like house break-ins reported during that period. – Bernama
