KUALA LUMPUR, May 4 — Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) accused the police today of abusing their powers for making a last minute application to extend the remand of 23 people detained over the recent May Day rally.

In a series of tweets, the human rights group said they were only informed at 10am today that the police would apply for a one-day extension to the remand order — which was granted by magistrate Ashraf Rezal Abdul Manan — after they were initially told by the investigating officer that the 23 would be released today.

“Update on the 23 rally goers : the IO had given us very late notice and devious steps were taken to continue to detain the rally goers,” the group said on microblogging site Twitter.

“Update on the 23 rally goers : this is part of the series of abuse of police powers that frm (sic) the start of the #MayDay rally,” LFL said in a separate tweet.

Earlier today, police arrested PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu for taking part in the Labour Day rally against the Goods and Services Tax (GST), adding to the list of political and civil society leaders detained over the past several days.

PKR vice-president Chua Tian Chang was arrested in Seberang Jaya in Penang last night, while former Bersih 2.0 chair Datuk Ambiga Sreenevesan, PAS lawmaker Dr Mohd Hatta Md Ramli, DAP national organising secretary Anthony Loke Siew Fook and PSM secretary-general S. Arulchelvan have since been released after questioning.

LFL claimed today that the magistrate approved the police’s application to extend the remand order on the 23 detainees on grounds that the police need to conduct an identification parade and photograph them wearing their protest clothes.

“The arrests of rally goers on Friday, Saturday and Sunday are examples of ridiculous police abuse and it continues today #KitaLawan,” the group tweeted.

Nearly 10,000 people reportedly took to the streets of Kuala Lumpur on May 1 to take part in the afternoon anti-GST rally organised by civil society movement #KitaLawan.

There were no reports of injuries or casualties during the rally, which launched from several points in the city before converging at the iconic Kuala Lumpur twin towers.

After the event, however, police claimed on their official Facebook account that the rally was not fully under control, citing incidents of alleged vandalism and smoke bombs being thrown by the protesters to back up its claim.

The police also said protesters had brought children to the rally - an offence under the Peaceful Assembly Act.