Police in Malaysia have used tear gas and water cannons against thousands of people assembling for a banned protest in the capital Kuala Lumpur.
Police say they arrested some 1,650 people before the rally was broken up.
Opposition activists called the protest to urge the government to implement electoral reform.
The police threw up a cordon around central Kuala Lumpur from midnight on Friday, blocking major roads and suspending public transport.
Riot police armed with batons confronted the thousands of people who had slipped through the security net, dispersing them with volleys of tear gas.
Crowds around the city's main bus station were also hosed down by water cannons.
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was one of a small number of people who were injured. He was taken to hospital after he fell to the pavement after a tear gas attack.
Protest leaders arrested
A group calling itself the Bersih 2.0 coalition had been planning to hold the rally in a sports stadium but the government of Prime Minister Najib Razak said the location was unsuitable and instead suggested a venue outside of the capital.
Continue reading the main story
Analysis
Jennifer Pak
BBC News, Kuala Lumpur
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The confrontations between police and protesters come as a shock to many here who say Malaysia is a stable democracy.
The police had warned that anyone participating in this illegal march would be arrested to prevent chaos.
This demonstration started as a call for free and fair elections. But now analysts say it's a test of this country's fragile democracy.
Prime Minister Najib Razak has dismissed opposition allegations that the electoral system is plagued with fraud.
He blames opposition parties for trying to create chaos to generate political momentum.
In pictures: Malaysia reform protests
"Merdeka Stadium, which they chose, is too close to the city centre and can create massive traffic jams and disrupt businesses," federal police chief Ismail Omar was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times.
Instead, with roads closed and some public transport suspended, most shops shut on Saturday and the city remained empty apart from police and protesters.
Several leaders of Bersih, including Ambiga Sreenivasan and Maria Chin Abdullah, were among the 1,401 people that police said were arrested.
Most were expected to be quickly released.
Organisers of the rally said 50,000 people had come out, but analysts put the number at closer to 10,000.
The demonstration came amid a police crackdown on opposition figures.
Police have questioned more than 150 activists in recent weeks, and 91 have been barred from the city.
More than 30 activists remain in detention after being arrested almost two weeks ago.
Rally organisers say Malaysia's electoral system is plagued with fraud - they want longer campaign periods, automatic voter registration and equality of access to the largely government-linked mainstream media.
The authorities say the protesters are trying to promote communist ideology, thereby "waging war against the king".
Street protests are rare in Malaysia, but the police launched a crackdown after a similar demonstration in 2007.
Analysts say that protest helped the opposition win an unprecedented number of seats in the last general election.
Ahad, 10 Julai 2011
Malaysian authorities crack down on protesters
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (CNN) -- Malaysian authorities cracked down on protesters demanding free and fair elections Saturday, firing tear gas and arresting more than 1,6000 people.
Some 1,667 people had been arrested as of early evening, according to the Royal Malaysia Police, with 16 children among them. Protest organizers said at a news conference earlier in the day that about 400 had been detained.
By Saturday night, police said the crowds had been dispersed.
The government said the protest, organized by a loose coalition of opposition groups known as Bersih 2.0, was illegal. It had already declared Bersih an illegal organization and police said anyone found with Bersih-related materials, such as yellow T-shirts, could be arrested.
"Malaysians of all walks of life overcame the oppressive acts of the police to come out peacefully and in incredibly large numbers to show their love for their country and for the principles of justice," the coalition said on its website.
"We are nonetheless horrified that several hundred people have been detained, many of them without any justification whatsoever," it said.
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was among hundreds of protesters who gathered at the Hilton hotel in Kuala Lumpur before heading toward the Sentral Station.
There the protesters breached police lines to march through the rail station, before being met by riot police with tear gas on the other side.
Ibrahim posted on his Twitter account that he had sustained a minor injury during the demonstration and that a staff member had been badly hurt. He also said his youngest daughter had been arrested.
Writing on his blog ahead of the protest, Ibrahim said the "intended peaceful gathering" was to bring Malaysians together "as one united people in pursuit of clean and fair elections."
He went on: "Our reason for gathering is pure and simple -- to demand that the electoral roll be cleaned, that the postal voting system be reformed, that indelible ink be used, a minimum 21 day campaign period be instated, free and fair access to media for all be provided, public institutions be strengthened, and for corruption as well as dirty politics to be stopped."
Opposition groups have been seeking to put pressure on the ruling party, which has been in power for decades, ahead of elections expected to be called next year.
Among their demands are the use of indelible ink to ensure that voters cannot cast more than one ballot and an extension of the campaigning period,
The Malaysian state news agency Bernama reported that the prime minister had attended an event Saturday at which he described the protest as "an illegal rally organised by a section of our community."
"If there are people who want to hold the illegal rally, there are even more who are against their plan to hold the illegal gathering," he is quoted as saying.
There was a strong police presence around the city and many roads had been closed off, local media reports said.
A similar demonstration called by the Bersih coalition in 2007 was broken up by police using water cannon and tear gas, local reports say.
Some 1,667 people had been arrested as of early evening, according to the Royal Malaysia Police, with 16 children among them. Protest organizers said at a news conference earlier in the day that about 400 had been detained.
By Saturday night, police said the crowds had been dispersed.
The government said the protest, organized by a loose coalition of opposition groups known as Bersih 2.0, was illegal. It had already declared Bersih an illegal organization and police said anyone found with Bersih-related materials, such as yellow T-shirts, could be arrested.
"Malaysians of all walks of life overcame the oppressive acts of the police to come out peacefully and in incredibly large numbers to show their love for their country and for the principles of justice," the coalition said on its website.
"We are nonetheless horrified that several hundred people have been detained, many of them without any justification whatsoever," it said.
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was among hundreds of protesters who gathered at the Hilton hotel in Kuala Lumpur before heading toward the Sentral Station.
There the protesters breached police lines to march through the rail station, before being met by riot police with tear gas on the other side.
Ibrahim posted on his Twitter account that he had sustained a minor injury during the demonstration and that a staff member had been badly hurt. He also said his youngest daughter had been arrested.
Writing on his blog ahead of the protest, Ibrahim said the "intended peaceful gathering" was to bring Malaysians together "as one united people in pursuit of clean and fair elections."
He went on: "Our reason for gathering is pure and simple -- to demand that the electoral roll be cleaned, that the postal voting system be reformed, that indelible ink be used, a minimum 21 day campaign period be instated, free and fair access to media for all be provided, public institutions be strengthened, and for corruption as well as dirty politics to be stopped."
Opposition groups have been seeking to put pressure on the ruling party, which has been in power for decades, ahead of elections expected to be called next year.
Among their demands are the use of indelible ink to ensure that voters cannot cast more than one ballot and an extension of the campaigning period,
The Malaysian state news agency Bernama reported that the prime minister had attended an event Saturday at which he described the protest as "an illegal rally organised by a section of our community."
"If there are people who want to hold the illegal rally, there are even more who are against their plan to hold the illegal gathering," he is quoted as saying.
There was a strong police presence around the city and many roads had been closed off, local media reports said.
A similar demonstration called by the Bersih coalition in 2007 was broken up by police using water cannon and tear gas, local reports say.
Malaysia cracks down on protesters - Aljazeera
Police in Malaysia have fired tear gas and arrested hundreds of protesters in the biggest opposition-backed rally in years.
More than 20,000 demonstrators massed across Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, demanding electoral reforms, activists said.
The federal police force arrested 1,400 people in a clampdown called Operation Erase Bersih, referring to the Bersih coalition, the group that organised the rally.
Those arrested included several senior opposition officials.
Ambiga Sreenavasan, head of the Bersih coalition, said that the suppression of the protests had "stirred a sense of outrage against the exhibition of raw power by our government".
"What is the necessity for a show of might against right? No matter what, right will always prevail," she said.
Prime Minister Najib Razak's government had declared the demonstration illegal, and police had sealed off parts of the capital in advance, warning those who took part in demonstrations that they would face "stern action".
Witnesses said riot police armed with batons charged at some protesters and dragged them into trucks.
Strict security measures
Authorities took extraordinary security measures to deter the rally by closing train stations and deploying lorries mounted with water cannons near the Independence Stadium in a suburb of Kuala Lumpur, where activists sought to gather.
Nevertheless, thousands tried to reach the stadium from various parts of the capital, chanting "Long live the people" and carrying yellow balloons and flowers as they marched.
Police fired numerous rounds of tear gas and chemical-laced water in repeated attempts to disperse the crowds, causing demonstrators to scatter into nearby buildings.
Helicopters flew overhead as a brief downpour failed to deter the protesters.
Anwar Ibrahim, the opposition leader, said he had sustained a "minor injury" when his group was hit by tear gas.
"We were attacked from both corners but what was horrifying is that the police shot directly at the protesters, some of them clearly aimed at me personally, so my security assistants had to cover me and one was badly injured because the canister was shot direct, he is badly injured," Anwar told the Associated Press news agency.
"This is a simple portrayal of the extent of desperation of brutal action approved by the Prime Minister Najib."
Government officials accuse Anwar's three-party alliance of endorsing the rally to cause chaos on the streets and undermine the National Front, the federal ruling coalition.
Electoral reforms
The rally organisers called for reforms following accusations that the Malaysian election commission is biased towards the ruling coalition, which has been in power since independence from Britain in 1957. The commission denies the charge.
The government insists the current electoral policies are evenhanded.
Over the past two weeks, more than 200 other activists have been arrested nationwide for trying to promote the rally.
Earlier, speaking to Al Jazeera over phone from Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, Edmund Bon, a human-rights lawyer, said: "It's an extraordinary clampdown on the whole [city] and we are not allowed to go anywhere.
"People are getting arrested on the streets and about 250 to 300 people have been arrested so far in connection with the rally.”
The activists' demands include an overhaul of voter registration lists, tougher measures to curb fraud and fairer opportunities for opposition politicians to campaign in government-linked media.
A general election is not due until 2013 but Najib has not ruled out early polls, after economic growth accelerated to a 10-year high in 2010.
Major street demonstrations are rare in this Southeast Asian country, but the rise of alternative media channels and a growing opposition voice are gradually creating a more vocal Malaysian public.
More than 20,000 demonstrators massed across Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, demanding electoral reforms, activists said.
The federal police force arrested 1,400 people in a clampdown called Operation Erase Bersih, referring to the Bersih coalition, the group that organised the rally.
Those arrested included several senior opposition officials.
Ambiga Sreenavasan, head of the Bersih coalition, said that the suppression of the protests had "stirred a sense of outrage against the exhibition of raw power by our government".
"What is the necessity for a show of might against right? No matter what, right will always prevail," she said.
Prime Minister Najib Razak's government had declared the demonstration illegal, and police had sealed off parts of the capital in advance, warning those who took part in demonstrations that they would face "stern action".
Witnesses said riot police armed with batons charged at some protesters and dragged them into trucks.
Strict security measures
Authorities took extraordinary security measures to deter the rally by closing train stations and deploying lorries mounted with water cannons near the Independence Stadium in a suburb of Kuala Lumpur, where activists sought to gather.
Nevertheless, thousands tried to reach the stadium from various parts of the capital, chanting "Long live the people" and carrying yellow balloons and flowers as they marched.
Police fired numerous rounds of tear gas and chemical-laced water in repeated attempts to disperse the crowds, causing demonstrators to scatter into nearby buildings.
Helicopters flew overhead as a brief downpour failed to deter the protesters.
Anwar Ibrahim, the opposition leader, said he had sustained a "minor injury" when his group was hit by tear gas.
"We were attacked from both corners but what was horrifying is that the police shot directly at the protesters, some of them clearly aimed at me personally, so my security assistants had to cover me and one was badly injured because the canister was shot direct, he is badly injured," Anwar told the Associated Press news agency.
"This is a simple portrayal of the extent of desperation of brutal action approved by the Prime Minister Najib."
Government officials accuse Anwar's three-party alliance of endorsing the rally to cause chaos on the streets and undermine the National Front, the federal ruling coalition.
Electoral reforms
The rally organisers called for reforms following accusations that the Malaysian election commission is biased towards the ruling coalition, which has been in power since independence from Britain in 1957. The commission denies the charge.
The government insists the current electoral policies are evenhanded.
Over the past two weeks, more than 200 other activists have been arrested nationwide for trying to promote the rally.
Earlier, speaking to Al Jazeera over phone from Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, Edmund Bon, a human-rights lawyer, said: "It's an extraordinary clampdown on the whole [city] and we are not allowed to go anywhere.
"People are getting arrested on the streets and about 250 to 300 people have been arrested so far in connection with the rally.”
The activists' demands include an overhaul of voter registration lists, tougher measures to curb fraud and fairer opportunities for opposition politicians to campaign in government-linked media.
A general election is not due until 2013 but Najib has not ruled out early polls, after economic growth accelerated to a 10-year high in 2010.
Major street demonstrations are rare in this Southeast Asian country, but the rise of alternative media channels and a growing opposition voice are gradually creating a more vocal Malaysian public.
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