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84-480: The idea of Bersih was initiated by five opposition parties in 2005 which later included other NGOs in this as well. It was officially formed on 23 November 2006 as a joint communiqué that comprised leaders from political parties, civil society groups and NGOs. Bersih accused the Election Commission under Prime Minister's Department for manipulating the electoral process to give an unfair advantage to

168-519: A Brunei win 2–1. The stadium had never hosted any Malaysia Cup finals ever since. In February 2015, Kuala Lumpur FA returned to Independence Stadium for the first time in 17 years for the team's opening Premier League match of the season against Sabah. The last international match played at the stadium saw the Malaysian team drawing 1–1 with Cambodia in October 2001. The stadium was the venue of

252-404: A primary source , meaning they are original informants for information. A press release is traditionally composed of nine structural elements, including a headline , dateline , introduction, body, and other components. Press releases are typically delivered to news media electronically, ready to use, and often subject to "do not use before" time, known as a news embargo . A special example of

336-447: A certain amount of time. Due to the material being pre-packaged, press releases save journalists time, not only in writing a story, but also the time and money it would have taken to capture the news firsthand. Although using a press release can save a news outlet time and money, it constrains the format and style of its content. In addition, press releases are favorable towards the organization that commissioned or issued them, framing

420-399: A covered stand, 50 turnstiles and 4 floodlight towers . The stadium was designed by American architect Stanley Jewkes , under the instruction of the first Prime Minister of Malaysia , Tunku Abdul Rahman . Upon its completion, the stadium holds the world record for the tallest prestressed floodlight towers and the biggest cantilever shell roofs . The stadium was the largest stadium in

504-628: A draw. In 1980, the stadium was the venue for the Olympics qualifying tournament. On 25 March, the stadium witnessed the qualification of Malaysia at the 1980 Olympic Games. The national team won the match against South Korea by 2–1, thus qualifying the Olympic Games for the second time. However, due to the boycott led by the United States , the country did not participate in the final tournament. The first FIFA qualification match at

588-417: A necessity for key details among companies to disclose to the public. Since then, press releases have been used to inform other journalists, PR's, and other media relation people of important events, statistics, and announcements. Stadium Merdeka 3°8′20″N 101°42′2″E  /  3.13889°N 101.70056°E  / 3.13889; 101.70056 The Independence Stadium or Merdeka Stadium

672-662: A part of her Taking Chances World Tour . Avril Lavigne played her first show at the stadium on 29 August 2008. She will return to the stadium again in her Black Star Tour in 2012, and again in 2014 as a part of The Avril Lavigne Tour . Justin Bieber performed at the stadium as a part of his debut world tour on 21 April 2011. Other Western artists who have played the stadium includes Jennifer Lopez , Cliff Richards , Scorpions , Metallica , My Chemical Romance and Bon Jovi . Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai first performed at

756-407: A poor public perception. It could also be viewed as a desire to increase their credibility. Furthermore, VNRs can be turned into podcasts and then posted onto newswires. A story can also be kept running longer by simply engaging " community websites ". "Community websites" are monitored and commented on by many journalists and feature writers. If a press release is distributed before the information

840-414: A press release is a communiqué ( / k ə ˈ m juː n ɪ k eɪ / ; French: [kɔmynike] ), which is a brief report or statement released by a public agency. A communiqué is typically issued after a high-level meeting of international leaders. Using press releases can benefit media corporations because they help decrease costs and improve the amount of material a media firm can output in

924-434: A set, are located at the movie studio and decorated with the movie's logo. Video news releases can be in the form of full-blown productions as well. This costs tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to be produced. Video news releases can also be in the format of TV news, or even produced specifically for the web. Some broadcast news outlets have discouraged the use of video news releases because of citing

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1008-408: A symbol of protest. The rally was often credited for the shift in political landscape in 2008 general election , when the incumbent Barisan Nasional coalition failed to obtain a two-thirds supermajority for the first time since 1969. In April 2010, the coalition was relaunched as an entirely civil society movement ("Bersih 2.0") unaffiliated to any political party. On 19 June 2011, former president of

1092-517: A unique independence declaration event. Since the 1930s, the Football Association of Selangor commonly referred to as Selangor , had been urging the government for a professional football stadium to be built. The request had been ignored as there's in fact a MAHA Stadium, the first stadium of Selangor in collaboration with MAHA (Malayan Agri-Horticultural Association) , is still there located at Jalan Ampang at that time. However,

1176-529: Is a stadium in Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia . It is known as the site of the formal declaration of independence of the Federation of Malaya on 31 August 1957 . The stadium is also the site of the proclamation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963 . Currently owned by Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB), the stadium has a lower and an upper terrace, with a total capacity of 25,000. It has 14 tunnels entrance,

1260-542: Is also the Malaysian national team best performance, which won the fourth place in the event. The event was witnessed by over 50,000 spectators, despite the fact that the stadium had only 45,000 seats. The stadium had also held the fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Bugner on 1 July 1975. It was held as an exhibition bout as a part of the Far East tour. The match was held prior to the infamous Thrilla in Manila that

1344-427: Is intended to be released to the public it is considered embargoed . An embargo requests that news organizations not report the story until a specified date or time. Unless the journalist has signed a legally binding non-disclosure agreement agreeing to honor the embargo in advance, the journalist has no legal obligation to withhold the information. However, violating the embargo risks damaging their relationship with

1428-478: Is released by the act of being sent to the media. Public relations professionals often follow a standard professional format for press releases. Additional communication methods that journalists employ include pitch letters and media advisories. Generally, a press release body consists of four to five paragraphs with a word limit ranging from 400 to 500. However, press release length varies and can range from 300 to 800 words. Common structural elements include: As

1512-617: The Bar Council , Dato' Ambiga Sreenevasan became the chairperson of the coalition. In 2011 and 2012, two more rallies ( Bersih 2.0 and Bersih 3.0 ) were organised seeing that the demands for the electoral reforms have not been met by the Electoral Commission. Bersih started out as a Joint Action Committee for Electoral Reform which was formed in July 2005. In the following year September 2006, an Electoral Reform Workshop

1596-684: The Queen of the United Kingdom , the Malay rulers of the nine states, the last High Commissioner of Malaya Sir Donald MacGillivray , foreign dignitaries, members of the federal cabinet and Tunku Abdul Rahman himself. Following the handover of the instrument of the independence from Prince Henry to Tunku, the prime minister read out the Declaration of Independence , followed by the iconic seven shouts of " Merdeka " by Tunku. Following that,

1680-587: The Southeast Asia at the time of completion. The stadium was the principal venue in Kuala Lumpur for celebrations and sporting events until 1998 when the National Stadium was built for the 16th Commonwealth Games . Prior to that, the stadium was the home ground for the Malaysian national football team . The stadium witnessed the historic qualifying match of the 1980 Olympic Games , when

1764-453: The general elections that was held on 5 May 2013, whereby invited witnesses gave testimonies on the irregularities and incidents of fraud. There were also calls for Election Commission to resign due to the way electoral demarcations were formed in past redelineation exercises. Bersih 4 rallies were scheduled to be held on the streets of Kuala Lumpur, Kuching, and Kota Kinabalu from 29 to 30 August, 2pm until midnight. The gathering places for

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1848-399: The national anthem was sung for the first time by a multiracial choir led by Tony Fonseka, while the national flag was raised by Oliver Cuthbert Samuel. The ceremony was continued with an azan call and a thanksgiving prayer, as well as a gun salute . A mass drill were also performed by the students on the event. On 16 September 1963, the stadium was the site of the proclamation of

1932-420: The newswires . The newswire then scatters the information as it is received or as investigated by a journalist . Thus, resulting in the information or announcement becoming public knowledge. An alternative model is the self-distributed press release . In this approach, press releases are either sent directly to local newspapers or to free and paid distribution services. The distribution service then provides

2016-510: The 1989 SEA Games, the grandstand was changed and the game's torch platform was built, were involved a set of grand steps leading up to the torch. The renovation, which cost RM 5.3 million, also includes the laying of new tracks, repairs to the roofs, enclosing sections of seating and repainting the seating terraces such that the stadium was ready for the Games. In 2007, the stadium underwent massive renovations to restore its 1957 look. With that,

2100-572: The 45,000-capacity stadium was reduced to 20,000, which meant that several of the upper terrace blocks built over the years were demolished. Besides that, the entire stadium was to be decorated as the state it was when Tunku proclaimed independence, which included the word "Merdeka" written in the stadium and the original seating arrangements of the Malay Rulers, the Queen's representatives and officers. The paintworks, main pavilion, two VIP rooms and

2184-550: The Bersih 2.0 demonstration, the Malaysian government set up Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on 2 October 2011 to respond to the electoral issues. In early April 2012, PSC released a report with 22 recommendations to improve the electoral system. The report was received and passed by the Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives) on 3 April 2012 according to the voice of the majority without debate. An opposition minority report

2268-567: The Bersih 3.0 rally, was announced and took place on 28 April 2012 at Dataran Merdeka. The Bersih 3.0 rally was a sit-down protest ( Duduk Bantah in Malay). In addition to the eight previous demands, it called for: Bersih 3.0 was endorsed by 84 NGOs. In particular, it was joined by Himpunan Hijau (Green Assembly), a civil movement protesting the Lynas rare earth project in Malaysia. In addition to

2352-698: The Brunei Merdeka Games, which was held to commemorate the Independence day of Malaya. Several events, including the Pestabola Merdeka , were held from 30 August to 8 September 1957. Besides football, the stadium had held cycling, athletics and hockey competition which were a part of the Games. A similar event was held in 1963 when the Malaysia Federation was formed. Operated by Perbadanan Stadium Merdeka (1963–1998),

2436-506: The Internet has assumed growing prominence in the 24-hour news cycle , press release writing styles have evolved. Editors of online newsletters, for instance, often lack the staff to convert traditional press release prose into the print-ready copy. In the traditional distribution model, the business, political campaign, or other entity releasing information to the media hires a publicity agency to write and distribute written information to

2520-667: The MAHA Stadium was ruined by the Japanese army in the World War II . After the war, the F.A.S and the Football Association of Malaya (FAM) stepped up their efforts to get a new stadium as the MAHA Stadium in Jalan Ampang is now unusable. After Tunku Abdul Rahman was elected as president of the two associations in 1951, both associations fought hard to have a first-class stadium built. In 1952, an ad-hoc committee

2604-542: The Walk for Democracy , called for eight points, including the four demands that remained not met in the 2008 general election: Bersih 2.0 was endorsed by 62 NGOs and joined by rallies in more than 30 international cities by oversea Malaysians in solidarity. The rally was again denied a permit. Plans for the demonstration were extensively criticised by the government and pro-government media. Police set up multiple road blocks around Kuala Lumpur and arrested 225 Bersih supporters in

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2688-500: The ceremony, Stanley was concerned that the roof might be unable to withstand the vibrations caused by the firing of the cannons during the ceremony, but it did not happen and the event went well. Engineer Lee Kwok Thye credited the Kongsi Woman, also known as Lai Sui Mui for their role in the construction. The women were responsible for carrying concrete buckets from the ground up to the structures being constructed, where it

2772-541: The changing rooms were to be restored to its original state as well. The project, which costs RM2 million, was led by PNB. In December 2009, it was announced that PNB would be building a hundred-floored skyscraper on the site between Independence Stadium and Nation Stadium . The project was officially launched by the then Prime Minister Najib Razak in September 2016. Formerly named as the Warisan Merdeka,

2856-409: The concrete upper tiers were added to increase the stadium capacity to 32,800 seats. The project costs about RM 4.5 million. In 1983, the floodlights of the stadium were replaced to make television colour transmission possible. The seating capacity of the stadium was further increased in early 1986 with the addition of upper tiers rising into the airspace on the north, east and south terraces. Prior to

2940-440: The concrete, pour it in, they'd return, and then continue in a chain system. The stadium was completed on 21 August 1957, while the opening ceremony was held on 30 August 1957, a day before the country declared independence. At the time of completion, it was the largest stadium in the Southeast Asia . The opening ceremony was opened by Tunku Abdul Rahman, which was witnessed by over 15,000 spectators, including foreign athletes. It

3024-406: The construction of it began immediately. At the same time, the designing of the covered stands, the upper terraces and the stairs were carried on by the architects. Two contractors were involved in the construction, Lim Quee for the construction of the main covered stands, while Boon & Cheah were responsible for the terrace and the tunnel entrances. Besides designing the stadium, Stanley Jewkes

3108-718: The content, as-is, to their media outlets for publication which is usually communicated via online. This approach is often used by political institutions, for example. Another instance would be, Constitutional Courts in Europe, U.S. Supreme Court, and the U.S. State Supreme Courts issue press releases about their own decisions and the news media use these self-published releases for their reporting. Some public relations firms send out video news releases (VNRs) which are pre-taped video programs or clips that can be aired intact by TV stations. Video news releases may include interviews of movie-stars. These interviews, which have been taped on

3192-537: The crowd. 245 people were detained following the protest. Following the initial rally, Bersih indicated it may hold another street demonstration if government extended the tenure of Election Commission (EC) chairperson Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman. On 20 November 2007, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Aziz tabled a first reading of the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2007 that sought to extend

3276-461: The current democratic problems nationwide. Global Bersih is a movement by Malaysian diaspora communities to lend support to Bersih and its cause. In conjunction with the Bersih 2.0 rally, Global Bersih organised rallies in 38 international locations with 4,003 overseas Malaysians in solidarity: As of 28 October 2014, the 62 non-governmental organisations that endorse Bersih include: On 23 November 2006, Bersih issued its first joint communiqué with

3360-428: The design was finished, it was immediately constructed. The stadium was constructed as an earthed amphitheatre , which means that a part of the stadium is below ground level. The excavated soil was then transferred to the site of Masjid Negara which was originally a valley and was subjected to flooding issues. When the earthworks and excavation were completed, designs of the terrace seating had already been done, and

3444-449: The endorsement from 25 non-governmental organisations and 5 political parties: Non-government organisations: Political parties: Communiqu%C3%A9 A press release (also known as a media release ) is an official statement delivered to members of the news media for the purpose of providing information, creating an official statement, or making an announcement directed for public release. Press releases are also considered

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3528-466: The finals of the Malaysia Cup . The stadium had also hosted all the football matches for the 1965 SEAP Games , 1971 SEAP Games and the 1977 SEA Games , as well as the finals for the 1989 SEA Games . The first match of the stadium was the opening match of the 1957 Independence Football Tournament , on 31 August 1957, between Hong Kong League XI and Cambodia . The Hong Kong League XI became

3612-469: The first mass rally to make four demands to ensure a clean and fair electoral process in Malaysia: The rally took place in the area of Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya around Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square) and Istana Negara (The National Palace). Bersih estimated the turnout to be at least 30,000, while the official claimed there were 10,000 protesters. Yellow shirts and ribbons were used as

3696-726: The first press release in October 1906 about a railroad accident involving the Pennsylvania Railroad. The accident caused the death of fifty people in Atlantic City, New Jersey (known as the Atlantic City train wreck ). Lee documented the accident and gave out reports to fellow reporters. The biggest turning point was the honesty that Lee wrote regarding the accident and how truthful it was. The New York Times distributed his exact statement and observations. Due to Lee's influence, press releases have evolved into

3780-519: The first team to win at Independence Stadium beating Cambodia with 6–2. The first goal was scored by Law Kwok-tai . On the next day, the Malayan national team play its first game at the stadium on a match against Burma , which finished 5–2. The national team will win its first Merdeka Cup in 1958 on a match against South Vietnam . The first Malaya Cup final held at the stadium was played on October 19, 1957, between Selangor and Perak . Perak won

3864-687: The formation of the Malaysia Federation. The event was witnessed by more than 30,000 audience and it was attended by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong , the Malay rulers, the Governor of Penang, Malacca, Singapore, Sarawak and Sabah, as well as the cabinet members, foreign diplomats and invited guests. The Proclamation of Malaysia, which was handed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, was read out by the Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman. He then shouted "Merdeka" seven times, which

3948-426: The game by 2–1. The stadium will host the rest of the matches as well as the final held on December 22, which ended with a tie between Burma and Thailand . In 1989, the Malaysia national football team won their fourth SEA Games goal medal, the first at the stadium. The first Olympic qualification match held at the stadium was the preliminary round between Malaysia and Thailand on 12 October 1964, which resulted

4032-507: The game by 3–2, becoming the first club to win a final at Independence Stadium. Perak also won the first Malaysia Cup at Independence Stadium after the cup was renamed in 1967. The stadium will continue to host 36 Malaysia Cup finals until the 1990s. The stadium had also witnessed the first match played by the newly formed Malaysia national football team , which is a combination of the Malaya and Singapore players (Singapore left in 1965 after

4116-430: The issuing organization and their reputation as a writer or journalist. News organizations are sometimes blacklisted after breaking an embargo. Publicists are often encouraged to only share embargoed information with journalists they have an established relationship with and/or are willing to commit to withholding the information until a predesignated time. Ivy Lee , known as the father of modern public relations, made

4200-474: The lead-up to the event. After being granted an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to discuss the issue, Bersih subsequently agreed on 5 July 2011 to move the rally from the streets to Stadium Merdeka . Estimates of the turnout on 9 July 2011 ranged from 10,000 to 50,000. The police deployed tear gas and water cannons to break up the protest and arrested more than 1600 protesters, including Ambiga and several event organisers and opposition figures. Following

4284-699: The legendary boxer Muhammad Ali and British boxer Joe Bugner in 1975, prior to the Thrilla in Manila . In 1975, the stadium also hosted the Hockey World Cup final between Pakistan and India . The stadium is currently a national heritage building. In 2008, the Independence Stadium received the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award for Excellence for Heritage Conservation owing to its cultural significance and embodiment of

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4368-453: The main rally at Kuala Lumpur, smaller rallies were held in 10 other cities in Malaysia, as well as in 34 other countries. Police again deployed tear gas and water cannon against the protestors, despite it being a peaceful demonstration. The chaos started when police began to scatter the crowd. Tear gas and water cannon targeted the exit points and the middle of the crowd. A tribunal was organised by Bersih on 18–21 September 2013 in regards to

4452-605: The national football team last qualified the Olympic Games. However, due to the boycott against the Soviet Union led by the United States, the country did not participate in the final tournament. The stadium was also the venue for the Merdeka Tournament until 1995. Besides that, the stadium had hosted three out of the five Southeast Asian Games held in Kuala Lumpur. The stadium also hosted the fight between

4536-469: The opening and closing ceremony, as well as athletics, football and cycling events. The stadium will continue to host the 1971 , 1977 and 1989 editions. The stadium had also hosted the first SUKMA Games in 1986. It will also be hosting the second SUKMA Games two years later. In 1975, the stadium had hosted third Men's Hockey World Cup from 1 to 15 March 1975. India won its only Hockey World Cup after beating Pakistan by 2–1. The 1975 edition

4620-592: The possibility of building a stadium. On 4 June 1956, a total of 160 proposal plan was submitted to the government. On 2 May 1956, Tunku and McDonald started looking for suitable sites for the stadium, one of the first places they visited was the Chin Woo stadium. While standing on the tower of the stadium, Tunku saw a few athletes practicing near the Coronation Park, and asked "Don't you think it would make an ideal spot for Stadium Merdeka?" Although McDonald

4704-513: The project was estimated to be finished by 2021. The tower, when completed, would be the second tallest building in the world and tallest in Southeast Asia . The tower would include 83 levels of office space, 16 levels of luxury hotel, and the rest of the floors would be occupied observation deck, restaurants, sky lobby, podium and amenities. Besides that, the project would also include a shopping mall and residential areas. The tower

4788-406: The project. The cornerstone of the stadium was laid by Tunku himself on 15 February 1957. Due to budget constraints, most of the construction materials were made locally, which meant that imported materials such as structural steels had to be avoided. To ensure that the stadium would be finished in time, the designing was done by " fast-track " method, which means that after each element of

4872-427: The rally should be located at Brickfields, Pasar Seni, Dataran Maybank, National Mosque, and Sogo shopping mall, according to the Bersih 2.0 chairperson. This was the first Bersih rally that are racially imbalance, with Chinese predominantly at the rally. The Bersih 5 rally was held peacefully on 19 November 2016 in Kuala Lumpur . A Bersih convoy was also launched and targeted all parts of Malaysia to raise awareness of

4956-456: The retirement age of members of Election Commission (EC) from 65 to 66. Parliament passed legislation on 11 December to increase EC members' retirement age from 65 to 66. The 2007 rally had raised Malaysian citizens' awareness to the irregularities and controversies in the electoral system. Ahead of the anticipated 2012 13th general election, Bersih scheduled a second public demonstration at Kuala Lumpur on 9 July 2011. Bersih 2.0 rally, also called

5040-410: The ruling National Front coalition. Bersih claimed that the electoral roll was marred by irregularities such as gerrymandering , phantom voters , malapportionment and postal vote frauds. On 10 November 2007, Bersih organised the first rally with 10,000 to 40,000 turnout and held a public demonstration at Dataran Merdeka , Kuala Lumpur . Supporters of Bersih were urged to wear yellow T-shirts as

5124-478: The schools nearby might be affected by the project and was forced to be relocated. Prior to the completion of National Stadium, Independence Stadium was once the home ground for both the national football team (1957–1998) and Selangor FA (1957–1994), and was used temporary by the Kuala Lumpur FA in 1997. Besides that, it was also the venue for the annual Independence Football Tournament and most of

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5208-436: The separation of Singapore with Malaysia). The match took place on 8 August 1963 (although the federation only existed after 16 September 1963) on the first round of the 1963 Merdeka Tournament against Japan. The team was defeated by 3–4. The first South East Asia Peninsular Games football tournament held in Independence Stadium was the opening match between Thailand and South Vietnam on December 15, with Thailand winning

5292-627: The stadium had also held four out of six of the SEA Games held in Kuala Lumpur. The stadium first host the Southeast Asia Games (known as the Southeast Asia Peninsular Games at that time) in 1965. Originally, Malaysia was planned to host the Games in 1967, however it was decided to be held in Malaysia after the original host, Laos had opted out due to financial difficulties. The stadium was the venue for

5376-399: The stadium in their Meteora World Tour on 15 October 2003. The concert was attended by over 28,000 audiences. Mariah Carey first perform at the stadium on 20 February 2004 as a part of her Charmbracelet World Tour . She returned to the stadium ten years later in her The Elusive Chanteuse Show on 22 October 2014. Celine Dion performed on 13 April 2008 for a total audience of 48,000 as

5460-510: The stadium on her Myself World Tour on 11 June 2011. She returned to the stadium again for her Play World Tour on 16 July 2016. On the following year, Mandopop singer Wang Leehom held his Music-Man Tour on March 3. He will return to the stadium again on 16 March 2019 as a part of his Descendants of the Dragon 2060 World Tour. Chinese singer Jay Chou first performed at the stadium in 2003 on The One World Tour. The singer performed again at

5544-530: The stadium was the match between Malaysia and South Korea on March 10, 1985. Followed by the completion of the Shah Alam Stadium in 1994, both Selangor FA and the Malaysian national team moved to the newly built stadium. The national team will then move to the National Stadium after its completion in 1998. The Malaysia Cup final was held again at the stadium since 1993, which was the match between Sarawak and Brunei in 1999, which resulted in

5628-652: The stadium, Tunku insisted on building the stadium there. On 11 July, Tunku bought this up to the Legislative Council and gained permission from it. Four days later, the project was transferred to the Malayan Public Works Department. The stadium was constructed from 25 September 1956 to 21 August 1957, and was designed by the then Director of Public Works Department , Stanley Edward Jewkes . Several engineers such as Lee Kwok Thye, Chan Sai Soo and Peter Low were also involved in

5712-414: The symbol of protest as yellow is also the colour for citizen actions worldwide and for press freedom movement. A memorandum containing the four demands was submitted to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong , Malaysia's head of state, during the rally. Malaysian police refused to issue a permit for the rally, rendering the rally illegal. Tear gas and chemical-laced water cannon were used by the riot police to disperse

5796-407: The topic according to its preferred criteria. In the digital age , consumers want to get their information instantly, bringing about pressure on the news media to output as much material as possible. This may cause news media companies to heavily rely on press releases to create stories. Any information deliberately sent to a reporter or media source is considered a press release. This information

5880-498: Was also Tunku himself who placed the foundation stone on 15 February 1957. The ceremony includes a mass drill performance by 1000 students. On 31 August 1957, power was transferred from the British Empire to the newly independent Malayan government. More than 20,000 people crowded into the stadium, which was built specifically for this occasion. The ceremony was attended by Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester , representing

5964-465: Was also responsible for the traffic planning around the stadium. Other than Stanley, architect Edgar Green was also involved in the designing of the interior facilities such as the toilets and the canteen facilities of the restaurant. The stadium held two world records upon its completion: the tallest prestressed floodlight towers at 120 feet and the biggest cantilever shell roofs . The floodlight towers, constructed from Hume culvert pipes ,

6048-412: Was also the first prestressed tower in the world which was made from precast culvert pipe units. Another interesting feat accomplished at the time is that all four towers were erected without using a crane. The shell roof for the grandstand, made out of concrete, was chosen as it was both economically affordable and aesthetically beautiful. Although the strength of the cantilever roofs were tested before

6132-479: Was built on the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park (also known as Merdeka Park ), which was built alongside the Independence Stadium. Such a move was criticized as the park was supposed to act as a heritage buffer zone. Plus, the park was also a recreation park for the residents in Kuala Lumpur for generations. The project might as well worsen the traffic congestion of that area. There was also concern that

6216-451: Was concerned about the traffic congestion that might arise in the future, Tunku insisted that it was the perfect spot for the country's first stadium. The site was a Chinese cemetery before it became the oldest golf course in Kuala Lumpur, which had been abandoned since 1921. The site was then later called "Coronation Park" when George VI was crowned as the King of United Kingdom . Before it

6300-517: Was decided to build a stadium on that site, several quarters were planned to be built on the site by the Royal Malaysia Police . The uneven ground of the site means that excavation work had to be carried out before it could be constructed. The construction of the stadium would also mean that a small part of the school ground of Victoria Institution would be acquired. Despite McDonald's efforts to persuade Tunku to choose another site for

6384-619: Was echoed by the crowd. This was followed by the playing of the nobat orchestra and the national anthem played by the Royal Malaysia Police Band. It was then followed by a 101-gun salute by the first round of the Federation artillery. The event ended with the prayer by the Mufti of Negeri Sembilan, Ahmad Mohammad Said. The role of the stadium as the principal venue for celebrations and sporting events in Kuala Lumpur

6468-758: Was formed by the Kuala Lumpur Municipal Commissioners to study the proposal, and a report was released three months later. Several proposals were also brought up to the Federal Legislative Council on this matter, including Tunku himself, but was blocked by the council. After the winning of the Alliance Party in the first general election in Malaya , Tunku, who was now the Chief Minister, started an advisory committee led by E.M. McDonald to study

6552-565: Was held in Kuala Lumpur . The event was held from 19 to 23 October. Aside from that, the stadium was also regularly used for national championships. The Independence Stadium had also hosted major concerts. Uriah Heep held its first Malaysian concert at the stadium on 19 October 1983. Michael Jackson 's HIStory World Tour filled the stadium to capacity. Jackson performed two sold-out concerts on 27 and 29 October 1996, respectively, in front of 55,000 people each night. Linkin Park performed at

6636-479: Was held in Kuala Lumpur whereby the various leaders from political parties, civil society groups and NGOs, including Wan Azizah Wan Ismail , Lim Guan Eng , PAS , Nasharudin Mat Isa , Teresa Kok , Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud among others, came together to formulate a joint communiqué. The main objective of this meeting is to advocate for a clean and fair election in Malaysia. On Saturday 10 November 2007, Bersih held

6720-409: Was held three months later. About 20,000 spectators witnessed the fight in the stadium, including the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the Prime Minister, several kings and governors, as well as Joe Frazier , Ali's former adversary. Ali won the fight by 73–67, 73–65 and 72–65 after the mandatory 15 rounds were over. In athletics, the stadium was also used to held the 1991 Asian Athletics Championships , which

6804-430: Was now owned by Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB). Several options were suggested following the acquirement of the site by PNB, such as redeveloping the stadium for smaller sporting activities, building a sport museum at the site, or relocate it to another site. Nonetheless, the stadium remained as a site for sporting events and concert until this day. The stadium had been through several renovations. First in 1974 when

6888-595: Was proposed to be included but was rejected by the Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat. Bersih was unsatisfied with the PSC reports as (i) the existing Election Commission was tasked to carry out the recommendations; (ii) many of the recommendations asked for a lengthy implementation period; (iii) many allegations of electoral frauds were not acknowledged in the report. In light of the issues, the third public demonstration, namely

6972-413: Was replaced by the National Stadium built in the mid-1990s. The stadium and its land were given to United Engineers Malaysia (UEM) which had intended to redevelop the land into a RM 1 billion entertainment and office complex. However, the company did not proceed with the redevelopment due to public outcry and the company's financial difficulties due to the late 1990s Asian economic crisis. The stadium

7056-426: Was then poured into the framework. They come to the site in black clothes, usually on bicycles. Their sleeves were extra long so that they could use them as gloves. They wore big straw hats with a hood. There were big gangs of them, each carrying two small buckets of concrete that was premixed at ground level. They walked up a ramp to take them right up to the top of the construction. A man would be up there to receive

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