Bersih 4: First night ends without a hitch

KUALA LUMPUR: The first night of the Bersih 4 rally went by without a hitch as protesters and the police maintained a healthy boundary between each other at Dataran Merdeka.
Speaking to theSun, Bersih steering committee member New Sin Yew said there were 20,000 or so still present as of 10pm.
"During the peak hours earlier in the day, I estimate there were at least 300,000 in total," adding he was confident with the figure.
New said there were initially four stages, of which three remain. "This means people are not concentrated into one locality but scattered throughout the city centre," he said
Citing an example, Sin Yew said: "I noticed the crowds were larger beyond Jalan Tun Perak but not readily visible, which can be mistaken by some observers."
He and the other organisers had just concluded a meeting with the police behind the barricade at 9pm, where it was made clear that so long as the barrier erected was not breached, the authorities would only carry on monitoring from a distance.
New credited the police for keeping in constant contact with the them.
"I think both us and them have learned from the mistakes made during the previous rallies. Earlier in the evening (Bersih chairperson) Maria Chin Abdullah had to personally convince several impetuous participants from not crossing the barrier," he said
With another 26 hours to go the rally was still under control, with a festive mood in the air.
"Additionally many business operators have been doing well with the influx of people patronising them. Some have gone home for the night, but I reckon another 10,000 will return come daybreak," he added.