KL tells U.S. not to interfere

KL tells U.S. not to interfere

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysia told the United States on Friday
that it had no right to interfere in the government's handling of
weekend protests by supporters of ex-deputy premier Anwar
Ibrahim.

U.S. State Department spokesman James Rubin said on Thursday
that Washington was "deeply disturbed" by Malaysia's move to
prevent its citizens from exercising their rights to free speech
and peaceful assembly.

Washington urged Malaysia to "respect the fundamental civil
and political rights of all its citizens and to refrain from
further actions that violate those rights", Rubin said.

But Malaysian Minister of Foreign Affairs Syed Hamid Albar
said Washington had no right to "dictate to another nation to
thrive in chaos and be denied of prosperity in the name of
liberal democracy".