Police arrested dozens of Malaysians who tried to take part in a street protest Saturday against a law allowing detention without trial, opposition activists were quoted as saying by The Associated Press. Government authorities warned they would not allow the protest, saying it could undermine public peace. Police set up roadblocks across Kuala Lumpur to prevent demonstrators from reaching the city center, sparking massive traffic crawls. Riot police backed by trucks mounted with water cannons fanned out at train stations and shopping malls where the demonstrators intended to gather. The protesters planned to march to the national palace to submit a petition to Malaysia's King, the constitutional monarch, to denounce the Internal Security Act.
