Prime Minister Najib Razak’s ruling government coalition passed the Peaceful Assembly Act in the Malaysian parliament’s lower house on November 29 . . . the bill is expected to pass the upper house next month . . . the law would ban street rallies by restricting protests to stadiums and public halls, includes a fine of $6,000 for violators, and prohibits children under 15 and foreigners from participating in protests . . . opposition legislators boycotted the vote in protest but both houses of parliament are dominated by the ruling National Front party . . . the new law does relax some restrictions against protestors, including removing requirements that police permits are needed for all gatherings of more than five people . . . last week the government repealed three laws that allowed police to detain citizens without trial  . . . hundreds of protesters were tear gassed and arrested while marching in Kuala Lumpur in July to demand greater electoral transparency . . . Malaysian authorities remember the 1960s and 1970s when ethnic tensions led to violent riots and they remain concerned that new uncontrolled protests could devolve into chaos and violence . . . although Kuala Lumpur has loosened some restrictions on protests, these gestures could be overshadowed by a backlash against the new restrictions and provide support for the opposition, which has seen its numbers grow in recent years.