KUALA LUMPUR, Jul 8: It is business as usual for popular retailer Sogo and other retail businesses nearby in spite of the clampdown on the city by the police to thwart the rally for electoral reforms by Bersih.
MORE THAN JUST SHOPPING ... The Sogo store, which offers never-ending sale throughout the year, has been a popular gathering spot since reformasi days
When contacted by Harakahdaily this morning, a staff member for the Japanese retail giant said its store at Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, one of the original gathering spots for Bersih supporters intending to join the rally, would be open for business as usual. Checks with shopowners along the same road also revealed they were reluctant to close their businesses tomorrow.
The police had earlier announced several road closures including areas surrounding the department store in a major operation to prevent any repeat of the first peaceful rally by Bersih in November 2007.
This time around, the police obtained a restriction order making most of the city centre off limits to 91 individuals, mostly involving leaders from Bersih and Pakatan Rakyat, as well as from UMNO Youth and Perkasa.
But while the impact on UMNO Youth and Perkasa - whose expected gatherings are far smaller in size - will be negligible, tens of thousands of Bersih supporters are expected to converge at Stadium Merdeka (map, right) and areas surrounding it despite police warnings that the July 9 rally for electoral reforms was "illegal".
Bersih leaders met with police inspector general Ismail Omar yesterday, only to be told hours later that they had been under a restriction order signed by a magistrate in Kuala Lumpur, banning them from the city.
PAS leaders affected by the measure have however vowed to join the rally.
Participants have been advised to come early tomorrow. While police instructed lane closures and diversion of outstation buses, public rail systems such as Ampang Line (Star), Kelana Jaya Line (Putra), KTM Komuter and Monorail will be operating normally.
Related:
Bersih says nothing will stop Saturday rally
http://en.harakahdaily.net/index.php/berita-utama/3095-business-as-usual-tomorrow-says-sogo.html
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