Anwar's surgeon given deadline

Mon, 23 Apr 2001 | Source: AP

KUALA LUMPUR (AP): Prison authorities have given former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim until Thursday to persuade a Dutch doctor to fly to Malaysia to operate on his spine, Anwar's attorney said on Sunday.

Following the government's refusal to let Anwar travel abroad for treatment, Dr. Thomas Hoogland must either perform surgery on the jailed politician at a state-run hospital in Kuala Lumpur or not at all, said lawyer Sankara Nair.

Sankara said that the Malaysian Prisons Department faxed him a letter last Thursday insisting that Hoogland announce his decision within a week. He said that Anwar's wife had since contacted the doctor, but no decision has been made yet.

Surgery is now considered urgent because Anwar is reportedly experiencing new pain in his right shoulder, in addition to his legs and back. The injury is believed to have originated in a beating which Anwar received at the hands of police in 1998.

View JSON | Print