“We’re going ahead with our march on March 9. We will be gathering at Sogo shopping complex in Kuala Lumpur before starting our march towards Dataran Merdeka,” WMMY representative Deborah Augustin said.

She said Dang Wangi police had previously rejected four requests to hold the march, and no reason was given for the rejection.

“When our first attempt at submitting the notice was rejected, the police told us that an official letter must accompany the request. However, we never had to do that in previous years.

“We tried to submit the notice by courier on Friday and Saturday, but it was not accepted. Yet, it was accepted today without any problem,” she said.

Augustin said she welcomed the police’s cooperation today, but added that the group has a right to march under the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAA) 2012.

WMMY holds marches every year to commemorate International Women’s Day, which falls on March 8, and to advocate gender rights.