Protests in Malaysia for fair elections

KUALA LUMPUR: Tens of thousands of protesters massed outside Malaysia's royal palace Saturday, facing off against riot police in defiance of a government ban on the rally calling for clean and fair elections.

The demonstrators, an alliance of opposition parties and civil society groups, had marched in the driving rain to the palace, chanting "Election Reform" and "Justice".

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had vowed to suppress the demonstration, backing police who said they feared riots could break out.

But the rally went ahead despite efforts to close down the centre of Kuala Lumpur, with a heavy police presence and roadblocks that caused traffic snarls.

"There are close to 30,000 protesters here at the moment. We have agreed to have them sit down in front of the palace and have four representatives present a petition" to the palace representative, a senior police officer told AFP.