Malaysian police break up antigovt protest<\/p>\n
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters): Malaysian police fired teargas and
\nwater cannon at protesters in the capital on Saturday to break up
\nthe fourth anti-government demonstration in a week.<\/p>\n
Riot police mounted a show of force across the heart of Kuala
\nLumpur to stop protesters from gathering at Merdeka (Freedom)
\nSquare, where 30,000 demonstrators on Sunday called for an end to
\nPrime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's 17-year rule.<\/p>\n
About 2,000 demonstrators on Saturday briefly shouted
\nReformasi (Reform) and Allahu Akbar (God is Greatest) before
\npolice fired water cannon, driving the protesters away from the
\nnorth side of the square.<\/p>\n
About 100 riot police with shields and batons then marched in
\na phalanx behind the truck carrying the water cannon, forcing
\nprotesters to flee up a wide avenue.<\/p>\n
Plainclothes police wearing yellow headbands detained at least
\na dozen protesters. The demonstrators, supporters of sacked
\nfinance minister Anwar Ibrahim, later dispersed.<\/p>\n
Elsewhere, riot police fired teargas to prevent protesters
\nfrom reaching the square, the official Bernama news agency said.
\nA police helicopter hovered overhead.<\/p>\n
On the south side of the square, about 500 protesters fled
\nwhen police threatened to fire water cannon at them.<\/p>\n
In the surrounding streets, groups of protesters played cat
\nand mouse with riot police into the evening.<\/p>\n
Earlier, outside the national mosque, riot police brandishing
\nbatons chased away several dozen people who shouted \"Reformasi\"
\n(Reform), the slogan of Anwar's incipient movement.<\/p>\n
Authorities blocked several roads including the one leading to
\nMahathir's official residence, where police had fired teargas and
\nwater cannon on Sunday to drive away demonstrators who threw
\nstones and shouted anti-government slogans.<\/p>\n
Anwar, who was sacked on Sept. 2, was arrested on Sunday after
\nleading thousands through the streets of the capital in a rare
\npublic protest against Mahathir, Asia's elder statesman.<\/p>\n
In a related development, Kuala Lumpur sent a senior
\npolitician, former deputy prime minister Ghafar Baba, to Jakarta
\nto explain Anwar's arrest to Indonesian activists.<\/p>\n
Tarmidzi Hashim, the Malaysian embassy's councilor of
\ninformation, said in a media release that Baba arrived in Jakarta
\non Saturday afternoon and was scheduled to give a media briefing
\nat Shangri-La Hotel on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Baba will stay in Jakarta for four days and meet several
\nIndonesian figures, but Hashim did not disclose their names.<\/p>\n
Dozens of Indonesian activists have staged pro-Anwar
\ndemonstrations at the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Earlier, police broke up subsequent demonstrations led by
\nAnwar supporters on Monday and Friday, detaining more than 100.<\/p>\n
Hours after last Sunday's demonstration, Anwar was arrested in
\nhis suburban home and detained under the Internal Security Act
\n(ISA), which permits indefinite detention without trial.<\/p>\n
Human rights groups and opposition parties have denounced the
\nauthorities' use of the ISA to detain Anwar and 14 of his
\nsupporters. The United States and Britain have expressed concern
\nover the use of the ISA.<\/p>\n
The London-based human rights organization Amnesty
\nInternational on Friday declared Anwar and his 14 political
\nallies to be prisoners of conscience and called for their
\nimmediate release.<\/p>\n
The federal police chief said this week that Anwar would soon
\nbe indicted and put on open trial. Authorities have banned all
\nrallies in favor of Anwar, who has not been seen by his family or
\nin public since he was arrested, and cordoned off his suburban
\nhome.<\/p>\n
Anwar, under investigation for sodomy and treason, has
\nrepeatedly said he was the victim of a high-level conspiracy to
\nend his political career, and accused senior government officials
\nof corruption and cronyism. (pan)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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