KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian police on Saturday arrested 15 people over a flash-mob protest held to promote a planned June 22 rally against alleged fraud in last month's elections.
Malaysian police try to separate protesters during a flash-mob gathering in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday. (AFP Photo)
A 10-year-old boy was among the opposition-aligned activists detained for disrupting public order in a busy shopping area of Kuala Lumpur, media reports and opposition politicians said.
"We had warned them to disperse but they refused to do so. They have been detained to facilitate investigations," said Zainuddin Ahmad, a local police official.
Malaysia's long-ruling coalition was returned to power despoite losing the popular vote in May 5 elections that were the country's closest ever.
The opposition insists vote fraud secured the win for the ruling Barisan Nasional (National Front), but Prime Minister Najib Razak has denied the charge.
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has organised a string of post-election rallies demanding election reforms including an overhaul of an Election Commission he considers biased.
The next gathering is set for June 22 in Kuala Lumpur, but police have warned they may stop the rally, setting up a potential confrontation. All of the rallies have so far proceeded with incident.
"Fifteen people including a 10-year-old boy who came along with his parents were arrested. The aim is to create fear among protesters and to intimidate them not to attend the mass rally next week," said Tian Chua, vice-president of Anwar's People's Justice Party.
The flash-mob participants were detained after distributing leaflets urging people to come out on June 22.
The opposition so far has not produced evidence of widespread fraud, but has filed court petitions contesting the results in a number of constituencies.
Opposition officials have acknowledged the petitions were unlikely to succeed and that the results, in which saw Najib retained a solid majority of seats, 133 to 89, would stand.