KUALA LUMPUR • A Malay rights activist says there are plans to hold a Red Shirt rally in Malacca on Saturday, a gathering that the Malaysian police have declared illegal.

The rally aims to push for justice for a Malay immigration officer allegedly beaten up by Chinese gangsters last week in Malacca city, said Mr Mohd Ali Baharom, head of the Association of Armed Forces Veterans.

He warned that Taman Melaka Raya, where the officer was said to have been assaulted, "would not be safe", according to the Malay Mail Online news site.

Mr Mohd Ali said the gathering would be spearheaded by the Gerakan Merah (Red Shirt Movement) - the group behind a protest at Petaling Street in Kuala Lumpur last month.

Malacca state police chief, Deputy Commissioner Chuah Ghee Lye, said no application regarding the rally had been submitted to the police. "Therefore, any mass gatherings by any party within Taman Melaka Raya is unlawful," he said.

In the alleged assault at a pub, some 40 thugs were said to have manhandled government officers during a raid, including three officers who were among 19 from the immigration department.

Datuk Chuah said the police have arrested 11 people in connection with the case.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK