Anwar's party to riot, alleges Mahathir

Anwar's party to riot, alleges Mahathir

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Sunday accused the opposition party headed by the wife of his ex-deputy, Anwar Ibrahim, of planning to stage riots here on April 15.

"I heard Keadilan is going to hold demonstrations on April 15 aimed at commemorating something and they are prepared to assault the police, carry weapons and wood," he was quoted as saying by the Bernama news agency.

"They even want to make molotov cocktails and all sorts of things."

Mahathir said there was a growing trend among opposition parties to resort to violence and break the law to show their dissatisfaction, but urged the public not to take part.

"We appeal to the people to behave, don't do that kind of thing ... we are open to criticism," he said.

Anwar's wife, Azizah Ismail, who heads the National Justice Party (Keadilan), was not immediately available for comment.

Keadilan youth wing executive secretary Muhammad Zahid Arip told AFP last week that it was planning a peaceful gathering and march on April 15 to mark the first anniversary of Anwar's jailing.

He said some 5,000 to 7,000 supporters were expected to gather at the National Mosque and march to the national palace to submit a memorandum to the king, seeking an audience and reminding Malay rulers of Mahathir's "oppression against the people."

But Kuala Lumpur police chief Kamarudin Mohamad Ali warned the public against participating, saying that the gathering was illegal as the organizers had not applied for a permit.

He warned that the organizers could be arrested or charged under the Sedition Act for enticing members to take part in the illegal event.

"To avoid any untoward incident, we urge the organizers to call off the gathering and for the people to stay away," Kamarudin was quoted as saying by the Sunday Star.

Anwar was sacked by Mahathir on Sept. 2, 1998, and detained later that month, initially under a law allowing detention without trial.

On April 14 last year, he was jailed for six years for abusing his powers to cover up claims of sexual misconduct. He is now on trial for sodomy -- punishable by up to 20 years in jail.

Anwar, 52, says he was framed by high-level politicians because he threatened to expose government corruption and was seen as a political threat to the premier.