Dissident leader Anwar Ibrahim to face open trial<\/p>\n
KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Malaysian authorities announced on
\nThursday the country's dissident leader Anwar Ibrahim would soon
\ngo on open trial where the world could see he was safe and sound.<\/p>\n
Trying to combat a growing image problem for Malaysia abroad,
\nauthorities denounced reporting of the past week's unrest and
\nsaid foreign news organizations would not be allowed to use the
\nstate-owned broadcaster to transmit \"negative stories\".<\/p>\n
There was no letup in the security clampdown on the nation of
\n22 million people with Malaysia's police chief Abdul Rahim Noor
\nwarning forces would take tough action to stop protests against
\nPrime Minister Mahathir Mohammad's 17-year-old rule.<\/p>\n
\"We will come down hard on them,\" Rahim Noor told a news
\nconference when asked what the police would do if there was
\nanother protest in Merdeka (Freedom) Square.<\/p>\n
\"He (Anwar) is safe and sound, not to worry. He is within our
\ncustody. There will be a fair trial, that's our system. It's an
\nopen court, very much a British system,\" Rahim Noor said.<\/p>\n
Anwar has not been seen in public since he was arrested on
\nSunday night after leading a demonstration through the capital.
\nHis wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, has expressed concern over his
\nhealth and said she fears he might be injected with the virus
\nthat causes AIDS to support allegations he committed sodomy.<\/p>\n
Anwar is being held under the Internal Security Act, which
\npermits indefinite detention without trial, but has not been
\nindicted.<\/p>\n
Rahim Noor said the former cabinet minister would be charged
\nsoon, but he declined to elaborate.<\/p>\n
Mahathir on Thursday brushed off allegations of widespread
\ncorruption and cronyism by Anwar. The veteran leader fired a new
\nattack on the western media following the release of an Anwar
\nvideo, saying Malaysia was powerless to counter reports about the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
Asked about allegations of corruption and cronyism by Anwar in
\na video made before his arrest on Sunday, Mahathir told a news
\nconference: \"Yes, of course. I'm remaining in power because of my
\ncrony(ism) and family.<\/p>\n
\"And you are free to air this every half an hour because you
\nown the media and you can tell lies to the whole world and
\ninfluence the whole world against us,\" Mahathir said, referring
\nto CNBC Asia, the Singapore-based business news broadcaster,
\nwhich showed the video.<\/p>\n
Anwar's wife, Azizah, who has said she has taken over her
\nhusband's protest movement, is under investigation by police for
\nsedition and inciting hatred among Malaysians for her AIDS
\ncomments.<\/p>\n
For the first time, police on Thursday prevented reporters
\nfrom entering Anwar's compound, where more than a dozen police
\nwere posted, blocking both front and back entrances.<\/p>\n
Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang called the clampdown on
\nAnwar's residence \"unfair, undemocratic and another example of
\nexcessive use of force or abuse of the existing laws\".<\/p>\n
Rahim Noor criticized the foreign media for its portrayal of
\npolitical strife in one of the world's largest commodity
\nexporters.<\/p>\n
Information Minister Mohamed Rahmat said apart from banning
\nforeign news organizations from using state-owned broadcaster RTM
\nto transmit images relating to Anwar, he was considering several
\nother options to counter \"negative reports\" by the foreign press.<\/p>\n
The Malaysian government's anger was not just directed against
\nthe foreign press.<\/p>\n
Malaysia has made an official protest against remarks by
\nAustralian Prime Minister John Howard who had said he was
\nconcerned over an apparent drift \"towards an authoritarian
\napproach\" in Malaysia.<\/p>\n
Malaysian officials were also understood to be unhappy at
\nremarks by Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong who has said
\nthe events in Malaysia had created political uncertainty that
\ncould dampen investor confidence in the region.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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