Mahathir calls Anwar poisoning claim ridiculous<\/p>\n
KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir
\nMohamad said it was \"ridiculous\" for former finance minister
\nAnwar Ibrahim to allege he was poisoned in jail, but the hospital
\ntreating him said it could not ignore the claim.<\/p>\n
\"This arsenic thing is really a ridiculous allegation,\"
\nMahathir was quoted on Wednesday as saying in an interview in the
\nAsian Wall Street Journal.<\/p>\n
\"That is not the culture of Malaysia. We don't kill our
\npolitical opponents.\"<\/p>\n
His comments came as Anwar remained at the National University
\nHospital for the third straight week undergoing treatment for
\nsevere headaches, variable blood pressure and a lung problem.<\/p>\n
Doctors are trying to verify his allegation on Sept. 10 that
\npolitical opponents had tried to poison him with arsenic.<\/p>\n
Anwar has said the level of arsenic in his urine, tested by a
\nlab in Melbourne, Australia, from a sample smuggled outside the
\ncountry in August was 77 times higher than normal.<\/p>\n
But Mahathir told the Asian Wall Street Journal: \"He had this
\nvery minute amount of arsenic in his urine which is compatible
\nwith the ingestion of some seafood.\"<\/p>\n
Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang said he regretted Mahathir had
\nmade up his mind about Anwar's condition before the doctors had
\ngiven their opinion. \"It shows that the prime minister has no
\nrespect for the truth,\" Lim said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Lim called on Wednesday for an independent inquiry into the
\nhealth of Anwar and his treatment in prison amid a further delay
\nin his trial.<\/p>\n
The secretary-general of the Democratic Action Party, said an
\ninquiry had become more urgent after Mahathir criticized Anwar's
\nclaims that he was suffering from arsenic poisoning.<\/p>\n
Lim criticized Mahathir for disregarding advice by Deputy
\nPrime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, that everyone should
\nwithhold comment on the alleged poisoning until the result of an
\nofficial investigation is known.<\/p>\n
The National University Hospital said it had the results of
\nits own tests on Anwar's hair, urine and fingernail specimen, as
\nwell as those done by an Australian laboratory.<\/p>\n
It said it was awaiting results from a London laboratory, and
\nit could not rule out Anwar's allegation he was poisoned until it
\ncollated the different results.<\/p>\n
\"We have to treat him as a patient with possible poisoning and
\ncannot do any less,\" hospital director Khalid Abdul Kadir said in
\na letter to the New Sunday Times newspaper and obtained by
\nReuters.<\/p>\n
The pro-government newspaper questioned why the hospital had
\ntaken more than two weeks to assess Anwar's condition.<\/p>\n
It said the hospital was part of a university which houses
\nsome of Anwar's most radical supporters and there could be doubts
\nabout its findings given that Anwar had received \"almost red
\ncarpet treatment\" on his arrival there.<\/p>\n
Khalid said in his letter that as a doctor, he needed to have
\na good relationship with his patients. \"That does not mean we are
\nnot politically impartial,\" he said.<\/p>",
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