Malaysia plan crackdown on fresh street protests<\/p>\n
KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Malaysian police warned on Wednesday
\nsupporters of sacked finance minister Anwar Ibrahim that they
\nwould crack down on any street protests even if it meant risking
\nharm to women and children.<\/p>\n
\"The police can only take so much. So don't force us to take
\nstern action when the situation is out of control,\" Mohamed
\nYusuf, deputy director of internal security and public order for
\nthe police, was quoted as saying.<\/p>\n
\"Don't think that by using the children and women as a shield,
\nthe police will not take stern action,\" the national Bernama news
\nagency quoted him as saying.<\/p>\n
\"If the police have no choice...injuries including death could
\noccur to children exposed to tear gas,\" Mohamed said.<\/p>\n
Police arrested 268 people last Saturday when protesters
\nclashed with security forces in the most violent demonstration
\nsince Anwar was arrested on Sept. 20.<\/p>\n
Anwar has pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of sodomy and
\ncorruption. His trial on four of the five corruption counts
\nstarts on Monday.<\/p>\n
Authorities have accused Anwar's supporters of bringing
\nchildren to the sporadic demonstrations that have taken place in
\nthe center of the capital. Police have used water laced with
\nchemicals and tear gas to break up some of the protests.<\/p>\n
Mohamed said police would resort to stern action if the crowds
\nturned violent \"regardless of the place, even the mosque\".<\/p>\n
On Saturday, some 2,000 protesters gathered in support of
\nAnwar after evening Moslem prayers at a mosque in Kampung Baru, a
\nnative Malay village in the heart of the capital.<\/p>\n
They then started bonfires on the streets of Kampung Baru,
\nwhere the most serious riots in Malaysia's history started on May
\n13, 1969. Twelve protesters and two policemen were injured in
\nSaturday's clashes.<\/p>\n
In another development, a senior Malaysian judge rejected on
\nWednesday former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim's application to be
\nfreed ahead of his keenly awaited trial next week on corruption
\ncharges.<\/p>\n
In a scathing ruling, Anwar's petition for a writ of habeas
\ncorpus ordering his release was thrown out by a High Court judge
\nwho dismissed the sacked minister's arguments as \"scandalous\" and
\n\"incredible.\"<\/p>\n
The application for the writ -- a legal instrument against
\narbitrary arrest -- was filed after Anwar was held under the
\ncountry's tough Internal Security Act (ISA) on Sept. 20.<\/p>\n
The ISA detention order was lifted on Oct. 14 but Anwar
\nremains under custody on the strength of a remand order based on
\nfive corruption and five sexual misconduct charges filed after
\nhis detention.<\/p>\n
Judge Abdul Wahab Patail said pursuing the writ application
\nnow \"is frivolous,\" adding it would be \"wholly wrong\" to contest
\na remand order issued by another court of \"coordinate
\njurisdiction.\"<\/p>\n
\"On these plain and obvious grounds, there is no merit in
\npursuing this application after the applicant had been released
\n(from ISA detention) to Sungai Buloh (prison) under court
\nremand,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"It ought to be dismissed immediately and I cannot lend it any
\nappearance of propriety by referring it to another judge,\" he
\nadded.<\/p>\n
Lawyers for Anwar had asked the case be given to another judge
\nbecause Abdul Wahab is a brother of a prosecutor handling legal
\ncases filed against two men jailed for alleged sexual relations
\nwith Anwar.<\/p>\n
Anwar, fired by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in early
\nSeptember after a long political feud, has dismissed 10
\ncorruption and sexual allegations filed against him as
\npolitically motivated.<\/p>\n
The judge angrily reacted to a contention by Anwar's lawyers
\nthat the remand order allowing his continued detention, as well
\nas his coming trial, were both \"tainted.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/malaysia-plan-crackdown-on-fresh-street-protests-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}