KOTA KINABALU, April 28 — Armed with a court order to prevent the planned May Day rally this Friday, Sabah police today warned the public against lingering in certain identified areas if they have no reason to do so.

State criminal investigations department chief Datuk Salehhudin Abdul Rahman pointed out that the court order was obtained to bar the illegal assembly from taking place and anyone in the banned area was liable for action.

“Basically the public cannot be there without reason. The onus is on them to prove what they are doing there,” he said when speaking to reporters at the state police headquarters here today.

Salehhudin was referring to a court order issued in response to Sabah Bersih 2.0’s planned gathering of 10,000 people in the town field on May 1 which was rejected by local authorities.

The court order covers Padang Merdeka — where the event was initially planned for — City Park, Segama waterfront, Dataran Bandaraya and Taman Chong Thien Vun and its surroundings.

The order, signed by magistrate Mohd Faiz Omar, is to prevent several named respondents and their supporters from gathering at the proposed location despite not getting approval.

The court order was issued ex parte due to the short period of time leading up to the event, and was deemed necessary to “prevent something from disrupting public order, threaten public safety, cause danger to the lives of people and riots if it were allowed to happen.”

Salehhudin said that police will be on standby on the day of the event and will be prepared for any eventuality.

“We will station as many people as we need. Depending on the information we get,” he said.

Earlier, police served the court order to Bersih 2.0 vice chairman Jannie Lasimbang in her office.

The human rights activist said the group will challenge the court order and hopefully see a review in time for the event.

Civil liberty group Lawyers for Liberty today said that the magistrate’s was unlawful as it contradicts previous decisions by superior court.

It also took the state police to task for “surreptitiously” seeking the order despite knowing that such a move was already ruled unlawful and unconstitutional in previous cases.

The court order named several opposition members such as DAP state leader and Kota Kinabalu MP Jimmy Wong Tze Phin, DAP state secretary and Dr Edwin Bosi (DAP), PKR vice chairman Darell Leiking and ex-senator Datuk Maijol Mahap.

Two other politicians named in the court order — Angkatan Perubahan Sabah president Datuk Seri Wilfred Bumburing and Star Reform Party chairman Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan — were also named, although Lasimbang denied any links to the two.

Others named included Lasimbang herself, activist Tan Sri Simon Sipaun, Daniel John Jambun, Kanul Gindol, Wilfred Gaban, Ann Lasimbang and S.M Muthu.

Last Thursday, Lasimbang said they will proceed with its planned rally here despite not getting the “approval” from the relevant authorities.

The rally, supported by some 50 civil society groups, is aiming to gather around 10,000 people for the two-hour event from 3pm to 5pm, this Friday to talk about their grievances on illegal immigrants, land rights, and the newly-implemented goods and services tax among others.