Mahathir voices 'shock' at Anwar's injury: Report

Mahathir voices 'shock' at Anwar's injury: Report

TOKYO (Agencies): Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Friday he was shocked and angry to learn that his sacked deputy Anwar Ibrahim sustained a black eye and bruises while in police custody.

"We are as much upset and angry over this thing as anybody else because we don't treat prisoners like that," Mahathir, who arrived here on Friday, was quoted by Kyodo News as telling a group of Japanese reporters.

"And certainly we should not treat a former deputy prime minister by maybe punching him in the eye so that the world will see this is how we treat our prisoners," said Mahathir.

Anwar, who was arrested for inciting public unrest on Sept. 20, told the court that he was handcuffed and blindfolded by police before being punched and slapped about the head and neck until he passed out.

Mahathir said he was "shocked" that the police would do such an "unusual" thing, knowing the damage it would do to their image.

"So I want to know, how is it that he gets a black eye when others did not get a black eye? But we know it has happened so let's give a chance for us to do a proper investigation.

"These things happen when in police custody, so we have to find out who is wrong, who has done this thing and take necessary action against the person concerned," he said.

Mahathir also said anyone not wishing to attend the Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Kuala Lumpur next month was free to skip it.

"If they don't want to come, it's their right," he said. "But I think they would be missing something if they don't attend, especially as we have very important economic and financial matters to discuss," he said.

"And APEC is about economy. It is not about politics," he added. "It would be a tragedy if we convert APEC into a political forum. If you do that, you are going to have a lot of differences."

In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian supporters of Anwar were warned on Friday to avoid falling into a "trap" during Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's five-day visit to Japan.

The warning, posted on one of the Internet sites supporting Anwar, followed Mahathir's departure for Tokyo late on Thursday and his assertion two days earlier that "certain groups" were plotting to create "chaos" in the country.

Meanwhile, the Philippine ambassador to Malaysia said on Friday he was summoned to the Malaysian Foreign Ministry to explain his president's statements in support of dissident Anwar Ibrahim.

Ambassador Jose Brillantes said in a radio interview from Kuala Lumpur that he was called on Thursday after the Malaysian dissident's eldest daughter met Philippine President Joseph Estrada.

Estrada has expressed support for Anwar, whom he considers a personal friend, and indicated he may not attend a summit of Asia Pacific Rim nations in Malaysia next month.

On Thursday, Estrada told Anwar's daughter, Nurul Izzah, to tell her father "not to waver because he is fighting for a cause, the cause of the Malaysian people."

He said, however, that his support is personal and moral and not meant to interfere in the internal problems of Malaysia.