Malaysia hit by fresh unrest<\/p>\n
KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Malaysian police and anti-government
\nprotesters clashed for the second straight day on Monday and
\nauthorities used a sweeping law to round up allies of sacked
\nfinance minister Anwar Ibrahim.<\/p>\n
Riot police repeatedly fired water cannon and tear gas at
\nseveral thousand demonstrators who converged on a courthouse in
\nthe heart of the capital where they had expected Anwar to be
\narraigned. He was never produced in court.<\/p>\n
It was a rare eruption of political tension in a country
\ndominated for 17 years by the iron grip of Prime Minister
\nMahathir Mohamad, now under unaccustomed pressure amid the
\nnation's worst economic downturn in decades.<\/p>\n
It took police brandishing shields more than three hours to
\ndisperse the protesters and seal off a large swathe of central
\nKuala Lumpur, including Merdeka (Freedom) Square where 30,000
\ndemonstrators had congregated with Anwar on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Malaysian police said Monday 101 anti-government protesters
\nhave been arrested since Sunday.<\/p>\n
Undeterred, the protesters returned several hours later, only
\nto be beaten back again by tear gas and batons. Several
\ndemonstrators said they saw one protester badly beaten and dumped
\ninto a police truck.<\/p>\n
At the center of Merdeka Square, the huge electronic orangutan
\nmascot of the 16th Commonwealth Games, smiled and bobbed.
\nThe games were due to be closed on Monday evening by Britain's
\nQueen Elizabeth and some demonstrators said they would take their
\nprotest to the closing ceremony.<\/p>\n
The arrest of Anwar on Sunday night under the Internal
\nSecurity Act (ISA), followed by the rounding up of at least five
\npolitical leaders and dozens of protesters, reflected Mahathir's
\ndetermination to nip an incipient reform movement in the bud.<\/p>\n
The night and day of demonstrations brought domestic political
\ntensions to a boil and spurred wild rumors.<\/p>\n
Rumors<\/p>\n
Education Minister Najib Tun Razak, one of the two most senior
\nmembers of Mahathir's United Malays National Organization (UMNO)
\nother than the prime minister himself, denied rumors that he had
\nquit the cabinet.<\/p>\n
Jitters extended to the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange, where the
\nblue chip index fell 3.8 percent in nervous trade.<\/p>\n
What was indisputable was that authorities were grappling with
\na street outburst of unexpected proportions. \"We never expected
\nthis to happen,\" said one diplomat who watched the clashes.<\/p>\n
The angry crowds assembled on Monday in a show of support for
\nAnwar, who after being sacked by Mahathir on Sept. 2 launched a
\ndrive calling for an end to cronyism and corruption. He was
\narrested late on Sunday night when riot police stormed his
\nsuburban home.<\/p>\n
On Monday the protesters intermittently shouted \"Long Live
\nAnwar,\" \"Mahathir Resign\", \"Allahu Akbar\" (God is Greatest) and
\n\"Reformasi\" (Reform).<\/p>\n
Demonstrators distributed leaflets which said: \"We demand that
\nDato Seri Dr Mahathir step down.\"<\/p>\n
The federal police confirmed on Monday that Anwar, under
\ninvestigation for sodomy, treason, corruption and other crimes
\nwhich he denies, was being held under the ISA, a sweeping law
\nthat provides for detention without trial.<\/p>\n
Police also confirmed that the head of UMNO's youth wing,
\nAhmad Zahid Hamidi, and four leaders of the Islamic Youth
\nMovement of Malaysia (IBIM) had been arrested under the ISA.<\/p>\n
Anwar's wife said on Monday afternoon that she had not heard
\nfrom her husband since he had been arrested and that she feared
\nfor his life.<\/p>\n
Editorial -- Page 4<\/p>\n
Fall -- Page 5<\/p>\n
Reaction -- Page 12<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/malaysia-hit-by-fresh-unrest-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }