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Summary Police detained at least 440 activists in an attempt to prevent a banned rally.
The protesters were demanding electoral reforms. The opposition-backed rally planned for Saturday afternoon is the culmination of weeks of pressure on Prime Minister Najib Razaks long-ruling coalition. The National Front has been in power since independence from Britain in 1957, but opposition gains in recent years have spurred calls for change.Many of the typically bustling commercial districts in downtown Kuala Lumpur were eerily empty Saturday as authorities took extraordinary security measures by blocking numerous roads, closing train stations and deploying trucks mounted with water cannons near the Independence Stadium.
