KUALA LUMPUR (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Malaysia's police chief Abdul Hamid Bador said on Monday (March 2) that human rights activists Ambiga Sreenevasan and Marina Mahathir, the daughter of former premier Mahathir Mohamad, are both under police investigation for their alleged involvement in a democracy gathering on Sunday.

They had gathered in Kuala Lumpur on the same day that Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was sworn in as Malaysia's new prime minister after a week of a power struggle among lawmakers on who would become the next premier.

Datuk Ambiga, a former chief of electoral reform group Bersih, said on Sunday that an urgent parliamentary sitting should be called as the legal step forward to protect the country's democracy.

"This special parliamentary sitting must happen to test the majority vote. We must make this demand and it must happen this week," she said at the peaceful rally.

Datin Paduka Marina, who was also at the rally, called for Malaysians, especially the young, not to give up hope.

"The youths need to take over and make their voices heard," she said. "Please don't be fed up and say this is rubbish politics. The only way to make this better is for you to take part, and I have faith in the good people of Malaysia and I believe we will rise again."

Meanwhile, Malaysia's Criminal Investigation Department director Huzir Mohamed said the investigations against Ms Ambiga, Ms Marina and the organisers of Sunday's protest came just a day after the authorities launched a sedition probe into another protest organised by activist/lawyer Fadia Nadwa Fikri.