Malaysia to relax laws on public protests

Malaysia agreed Thursday to relax laws on public protests, including axing the need to receive prior permission for demonstrations, a long-time bone of contention for activists who hailed the move.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim told parliament that a provision in the Peaceful Assembly Act -- which stipulates that organisers must first get consent before holding a gathering -- will be removed.

Police often have used the rule as a reason to prevent rallies from taking place, saying if no green light was given by local property owners, demonstrations would not be allowed.

But Anwar said Thursday "that from now on, no approval is required except for a five-day notification to the police".

This was to allow authorities to manage security, crowd control and traffic, said Anwar, himself a veteran demonstrator.

As for venues, "there will also be more flexibility unless the locations are considered security-sensitive", the premier said.

However, gatherings involving weapons or young children would remain banned in the Southeast Asian nation.

The Peaceful Assembly Act has long been a sore point for Malaysia's non-governmental organisations and political parties seeking to hold protests and rallies, with many urging past governments to repeal it.

Participants, including political figures like Anwar, were also frequently summoned and probed after such "unauthorised" demonstrations.

In 2012, police deployed water cannons and tear gas against peaceful protesters at a mass rally, during which demonstrators demanded clean and fair elections from then prime minister Najib Razak.

Anwar, who was opposition leader at that time, was among the thousands in attendance.

The prime minister also said Thursday that requests for rallies were frequently approved since he took office in 2022.

But last month a student-led group marching in Kuala Lumpur against corruption had a heated verbal exchange with police over consent to use a public area to stage their protest.

That protest eventually went ahead but prompted police to launch a probe against the demonstrators, which Anwar on Thursday said would be dropped.

Malaysian cartoonist and activist Fahmi Reza, who is often sighted at protests, celebrated the change to the law in a post on X .

"This is a victory for students and the people who are fighting for freedom of assembly and demonstrations!" Fahmi wrote.

"Well done to the new generation of student movements who dare to fight back!"