Kuala Lumpur police chief Amar Singh was quoted as saying that the 14 people were arrested “to prevent rioting and breach of peace in regard to the Bersih 5.0 rally”.

Among them are Bersih chairman Maria Chin Abdullah and Red Shirt leader Jamal Md Yunos, who heads the Gabungan NGO Gerakan Merah Malaysia.

Jamal was detained at his home in Jalan Ampang here at about 1.30am for allegedly being a member of an unlawful assembly.

Maria was detained at the Bersih office in Petaling Jaya at 5.20pm yesterday for “attempting to carry out an activity that could undermine parliamentary democracy”. She is being investigated after media reports said some people and organisations had received foreign funds and had links with the Open Society Foundations of US billionaire George Soros.

Seremban MP Anthony Loke Siew Fook was arrested under the Sedition Act while he was at a hotel at KL Sentral.

Former Selangor executive councillor Ronnie Liu Tian Khiew and 10 others were being investigated under Penal Code provisions on rioting and illegal assemblies. The others are:

Bersih committee member Mandeep Singh;

Parti Sosialis Malaysia committee member S. Arutchelvam;

student activists Muhamad Luqman Nul Haqim Zul Razali and Anis Syafiqah Md Yusof;

DAP memners Jimmy Wong Chee Wai and Lee Khai Meng;

Gerakan Merah activists Hairol Nizam Md Nor, Razali Zakaria, Muhamad Safwan Anang @Talib, and Ariffin Abu Bakar @Ipin Keramat.

Police would seek to have them remanded in custody, Amar Singh said.