Twenty-seven organisations in Malaysia, including oppostion parties, trade unions and consumer groups, have called on the government to show greater respect for human rights and civil liberties.

At a meeting in Kuala Lumpur, they said Malaysians had to be free to engage in dialogue and to release their frustrations.

Recently, the police has banned public meetings of consumer rights groups and gatherings of the main opposition Democratic Action Party.

Meanwhile, the deputy prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, has warned that Malaysia faces political upheaval similar to that of Indonesia if it does not reform its political system to make government more transparent.