Rumours of a protest against the fuel price hike to be held at the Dataran Merdeka fizzled out today, with no protestors in sight.

Instead, some 50 media practitioners had to seek shelter from the rain at the Sultan Abdul Samad building.

Earlier, over 50 Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and police officers were seen to be on standby at the area.

Dozens of tourists were spotted sightseeing and taking pictures under the watchful eyes of the authorities.

Word of  the protest which was supposed to be held at 4pm had spread on the  social media a day after the Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Ministry announced the fuel price hike on Oct 1.

However, it was not clear who the protest organisers were. The police had yesterday said that while they viewed the protest as an illegal gathering, they however would not crack down on them.

"We will still take the necessary steps to investigate the organisers as
they did not submit their notice," Kuala Lumpur police chief Senior Deputy Comm Tajuddin Md Isa told The Star.

The price of RON 95 petrol and diesel rose by 20 sen on Oct 2. They are now at RM2.30 per litre and RM2.20 per litre respectively.

The Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Ministry said that the move is in line with the government's policy of subsidy rationalisation to ensure that the country’s financial position is strong.