But the "Red Shirts", a rightwing group aligned to Najib and his ruling United Malays National Organisation, has vowed to confront protesters. "You cannot indulge in any kind of physical clash at all," Najib said Thursday, according to the official Bernama news agency. Firebrand Red Shirts leader Jamal Yunos has ominously warned that "anything can happen, including violence". The Red Shirts are widely dismissed as ruling-party thugs-for-hire who seek to suppress any moves against Najib over a huge graft scandal. Najib denies wrongdoing and says his accusers need to "move on", but last year purged critics and shut down domestic investigations.

Source: The Nation Bangkok November 17, 2016 06:10 UTC