KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 1 — Hundreds of people were believed to have tried to usher in the New Year by gathering at Bukit Bintang and Pavilion shopping mall last night as viraled on social media, but the crowds were swiftly dispersed, said Dang Wangi district police chief Assistant Commissioner Mohamad Zainal Abdullah.
“There were no events to celebrate New Year’s eve but some small groups had gathered mostly in the Bukit Bintang area. We managed to disperse them.
“It was quiet at Dataran Merdeka but at KLCC there was just the shopping crowd,” he said.
He said a total of 514 personnel were deployed in Op Ambang Tahun Baru which was mounted to monitor and break up illegal gatherings up to 3am today.
Yesterday, a 53-second video recording showing crowds gathering outside shopping malls believed to be waiting for the new year countdown, went viral on social media.
Prior to this, Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that no mass gatherings are allowed at New Year’s eve celebrations to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
— Bernama
