AN ACTIVIST being led away by police in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. The authorities said the protest organisers had not applied for a permit to rally. -- PHOTO: AP

With a helicopter hovering overhead and several trucks armed with water cannon on standby, the police crackdown on the anti-government rally was swift and decisive.

Those arrested were expected to be held at least overnight, while police decide whether they should be charged.

The crackdown, involving nearly 1,300 policemen, effectively quashed the planned protest aimed at highlighting public anger over rising prices of food and fuel, an issue that will figure prominently if elections are held any time soon.

The organisers, Coalition Against Inflation, or Protes, had hoped to gather 5,000 people for yesterday's protest, but only about 200 people turned up.

The authorities said the organisers had not applied for a permit to hold a public demonstration, but opposition leaders said their application would probably have been rejected anyway.

Protes comprises Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), Democratic Action Party (DAP), Keadilan and a few non-government organisations.

Yesterday, as protesters tried to gather near Kuala Lumpur's landmark, the Petronas Twin Towers, police swarmed in and bundled many into police trucks. Some protesters shouted 'Reformasi' - a popular battle cry during former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim's sacking in 1998 - as they were driven off.

'There is no democracy at all,' protested Socialist Party of Malaysia chairman Mohamed Nasir, as he was led away.

'The leadership is so paranoid that there is no such thing as democracy in this country.'

As curious onlookers watched, other would-be protesters lingered around for more than an hour before dispersing peacefully.

Kuala Lumpur police chief Muhammad Sabtu Osman said 53 people were arrested, including 13 women. Those arrested included opposition leaders such as Parti Keadilan Rakyat's Tian Chua, DAP's Ronnie Liu, PAS treasurer Hatta Ramli, and a journalist from online newspaper Malaysiakini.

Malaysiakini said its journalist was detained while questioning a police officer over the arrests.

'It's almost ridiculous, conducting mass arrests before we even converged,' said Mr Tian Chua, who described the arrests as a 'brutal crackdown'.

Protes had last tried to hold a protest against price hikes at the same place in May 2006. Then, 18 people were arrested and several others injured in scuffles with police.

The recent string of protests in this normally peaceful country comes at a bad time for the government, which is expected to hold elections in March.

Malaysia's inflation last month hit a 10-month high of 2.4 per cent, driven by higher food and transport costs.

hazlinh@sph.com.sg