Police use teargas, water cannon on Anwar supporters

Police use teargas, water cannon on Anwar supporters

KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Malaysian police fired teargas and
water cannons on Sunday to disperse thousands of supporters of
jailed ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim in the biggest rally here
in five months.

Protesters hurled stones at police and yelled, "Dogs of the
government!" and "You are pigs!" Both are harsh insults in mostly
Muslim Malaysia, where pigs and dogs are considered unclean.

Police were seen beating demonstrators with batons. It was not
immediately known if there were injuries. Police were seen
dragging at least a half-dozen protesters into police vans.

Some supporters gathered at the national mosque were seen
throwing stones, sticks and even flower pots at police, who then
fired several rounds of teargas and water cannon, witnesses said.

In what was the largest rally since Anwar was sentenced to six
years' jail in April, more than 3,000 people earlier assembled
at the mosque in the city center to perform prayers.

Police ensured tight security, with several roads leading to
the area sealed off and a helicopter hovering above.

The crowd then stayed to listen to speeches by opposition
leaders including Anwar's eldest daughter Nurul Izzah, and
occasionally shouted Reformasi -- Anwar's rallying call for
reforms.

After Nurul Izzah left, the group wanted to march to the
palace to submit a petition urging Malaysian King Sultan
Salahuddin to form a royal commission to probe claims that Anwar
had been poisoned with arsenic.

Police warned the group to leave but they refused, prompting
the police action. Many of the supporters sought shelter inside
the mosque but dispersed peacefully after two hours.

The protest comes on the eve of the first anniversary of
Anwar's arrest after he led a mass anti-government march from the
national mosque last year, following his dismissal amid a
falling-out with Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad over economic
policies.

It was the first time police used teargas and water cannons
since protests in April sparked by Anwar's sentencing.

The former deputy leader is now on trial for sodomy but was
hospitalized on September 10 after lawyers alleged dangerous
levels of arsenic was found in his body, bringing the trial to a
halt.

Anwar's family and supporters have rejected a police probe
into the claims, and Saturday submitted petitions to several
state rulers calling for an independent inquiry.

The official Bernama news agency said Nurul Izzah and several
opposition leaders proceeded to the palace during the unrest at
the mosque and managed to hand the petition to an official.

It included a demand that Anwar be placed under house arrest
instead of being kept in jail, Bernama said. It also called for
the resignation of the prison chief and the attorney-general.

Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi warned on Sunday
that any attempt by Anwar supporters to involve Malaysian rulers
in the case could spark political trouble.

Abdullah, who is also home minister in charge of police,
accused opposition groups of politicizing the matter and told
them to allow the law to take its due course.

"This type of thing should not be brought to other places. I
see that they are looking for an out of court settlement by
bringing the matter straight to the Malay rulers," he was cited
as saying by Bernama.

Abdullah said the rulers have no information on the case and
must await details from police who cannot carry on the
investigation if there are constant disruptions.

But he pledged that there would be a "quick end" to the probe
to halt speculation and charges against the government.

On Saturday, Mahathir rebuked opposition groups for holding
marches and demonstrations to pressure the government.

Public rallies are "not our way" of airing grievances,
Mahathir reportedly said, adding his ruling party could organize
demonstrations "100 times bigger" if it wanted to.

"But we do not resort to such things. It is not the way in
Malaysia ... to hold demonstrations at every opportunity," the
premier said, adding that organizers were not fit to contest the
looming general election.

There has been no news on Anwar's medical tests since he was
hospitalized on Sept. 10, although hospital authorities have said
the results would "probably" be known this weekend.

In a statement on Sunday, Anwar's wife Azizah Ismail said: "My
family and I pray that the tests will reveal that the arsenic
level in his urine has now fallen to a normal range," she added.
His sodomy trial will resume on Monday.