Thousands of Malaysians on the streets: Protests against prime minister embroiled in corruption scandal

Thousands of Malaysians demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Razak over alleged involvement in a major financial scandal poured into the centre of Kuala Lumpur on Sunday for the second day of protests, some of the largest in several years, reports the Patria news agency.

Several thousand demonstrators in yellow shirts from the civil society movement Bersih, which calls for reforms, took to the city streets after camping overnight, continuing protests that include speeches, singing and prayers.

The gatherings have so far taken place largely without incident, despite a police ban in this predominantly Muslim Southeast Asian country. Authorities have blocked the protest organisers' websites and banned the Bersih logo and yellow shirts, an alliance of non-governmental organisations, reformers and human rights activists.

The protests against the prime minister primarily relate to a major financial scandal involving the state-owned company 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), established on his initiative shortly after he came to power in 2009, now burdened with 10 billion euros. The prime minister is suspected of embezzling around 640 million euros.

Calls for his resignation began to grow in number in July after the Wall Street Journal reported that Malaysian investigators had discovered that nearly 640 million euros had been deposited into Najib's personal accounts, writes Index.