Contingents dress to impress

Silat exponents go through their moves during a performance at Dataran Kemerdekaan, Shah Alam, during the state-level Merdeka celebrations on Aug 30.

An intermittent light drizzle failed to dampen the mood at Shah Alam’s Dataran Kemerdekaan, as the Selangor government organised its own celebrations to mark Malaysia’s 57th Merdeka Day.

While there was no firework display — the celebrations toned down as a mark of respect for the victims of flights MH370 and MH17 — the crowd was nonetheless in a festive mood.