KUALA LUMPUR, July 17 — Three young Malaysians who gathered at Dataran Merdeka today to protest the way the government is handling the Covid-19 pandemic have been called to give their statements to city police tomorrow morning.

The three men had carried black flags with them during a brief demonstration on the lawns of the historic square this afternoon.

Protesters wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) hold black flags and effigies of corpses during the Black Flag protest demanding the resignation of prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon
Protesters wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) hold black flags and effigies of corpses during the Black Flag protest demanding the resignation of prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon

Mohammad Alshatri who is from the social non-governmental organisation Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) said he and two others — Muhamamd Nur Taufiq, and Mohsd Asraf Sharafi who is from electoral reform watchdog Bersih 2.0 — were contacted by the police asked to present themselves at the Dang Wangi district police headquarters at 9am for their statements to be recorded.

“Ashraf from Bersih, @tul4ng and myself had been summoned to IPD Dang Wangi tomorrow to be investigated for today’s #Lawan protest in Dataran Merdeka. We will be going there at 9am,” Alshatri shared on his Twitter handle @matshatry.

A video of the demonstration was shared online earlier today.

A group of youth wearing black shirts and personal protection equipment (PPE) wave black flags during a protest at Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur July 17, 2021. — Picture by Firdaus Latif
A group of youth wearing black shirts and personal protection equipment (PPE) wave black flags during a protest at Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur July 17, 2021. — Picture by Firdaus Latif

During the protest, the youths were seen carrying black flags and urged Malaysians to continue to express their dismay towards the government and the way the pandemic has been handled.

They also carried effigies of corpses — wrapped in white shrouds and tied at both ends, which is customary in Muslim burials — to symbolise the increasing number of deaths in Malaysia due to Covid-19.