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.