KL stops Anwar supporters from marking birthday

KL stops Anwar supporters from marking birthday

SUNGAI BULOH, Malaysia (Agencies): Malaysian police on Sunday
blocked supporters of jailed former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim
from gathering outside the prison to mark his third birthday
spent behind bars.

Scores of policemen, backed by a water cannon truck, stood
guard outside the Sungai Buloh prison where Anwar -- who turned
54 Friday -- is serving a total 15 years for sodomy and abuse of
power.

Roads leading to the prison, some 40 kilometers (24 miles)
outside Kuala Lumpur, have been cordoned off since early Sunday
and a police helicopter scoured the area.

Some 200 supporters later gathered by a roadside nearly 10
kilometers away from the prison, holding banners and chanting
"Reformasi" -- Anwar's rallying cry since he was sacked and
detained in 1998.

"Happy Birthday Anwar. God bless you, the fight must go on,"
according to a banner. They cut a birthday cake but fled when
riot police arrived at the scene.

Anwar's wife, Azizah Ismail, criticized police for the
excessive operation.

"It is an innocuous thing, a birthday, no relation whatsoever
to violence. I think it is a little overdone," she told reporters
after visiting her husband.

Anwar urged his supporters on Sunday to keep up the fight for
political reform in Malaysia as police stopped hundreds of people
from gathering outside the ex-deputy premier's prison to
celebrate his birthday.

"The struggle must continue, must go on, must escalate, even
with all the pressure, restrictions and oppression, we have to
recruit and maintain and strengthen our resolve," he said in a
message delivered to his supporters through his wife.

Police detained an unidentified man, who is in his 40s, for
ignoring orders to disperse, district police chief Sheikh Mustafa
Sheikh Ahmad was quoted as saying by Bernama news agency.

Sheikh Mustafa defended the police operation involving some
150 personnels, saying they had to take action to prevent the
illegal gathering.

Azizah, her five daughters and her father earlier saw Anwar
for about 45 minutes but were only allowed direct contact with
him for the last 15 minutes after earlier speaking with him
through a glass screen.

"My daughter made him a cheesecake. It was a small sort of
family get-together. We sang some oldies songs, wished him a
happy birthday and before that, we had our prayers," she said.

"He thanked the supporters for risking the high-security just
to come and wish him but he maintained that the struggle must
continue.

She said her husband, who is suffering from a back injury, was
in a wheelchair and wearing a neck collar and back brace.

He was in a "bit of pain" and side effect from painkillers had
caused swelling on his hands and feet, she said, adding that he
was scheduled to undergo some medical tests on Monday.

Anwar, who was diagnosed with a slipped disc last November and
spent several months in hospital before being taken back to
prison, has insisted that he undergoes spinal surgery overseas.

But Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has said his decision to
refuse his former deputy an overseas operation is final.

Malaysia's Human Rights Commission has lent support to a long
campaign waged by Anwar's family and supporters for him to have
surgery in Germany.

Anwar, who has become the symbol of opposition to Mahathir,
says he was framed to avert a political challenge to the premier
who has ruled Malaysia for two decades. The government denied the
allegation.

In a related development, Malaysia has banned the sale of
video compact discs (VCDs) containing recordings of political
speeches by opposition leaders, a report said on Sunday.

Deputy Home Minister Chor Chee Heung warned the government
would take stern action against those producing and selling VCDs
and cassette tapes with a political content, the Sunday Star
said.

Chor said enforcement authorities recently seized hundreds of
such VCDs in Kuala Lumpur and many of the recorded speeches made
at opposition rallies were found to be spreading lies against the
government.

The government has previously been lenient by only seizing the
VCDs and tapes but "we will now bring them to court," he added.