Soros slammed for being 'pro-Anwar'

Soros slammed for being 'pro-Anwar'

KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Allies and opponents alike of Prime
Minister Mahathir Mohamad have lashed out at international
financier George Soros for calling for an end to the Malaysian
leader's 17-year rule.

Ruling coalition politicians, youth leaders and even the
opposition attacked the financier, who on Thursday also called
for the release of detained former finance minister Anwar
Ibrahim.

"Soros' statement clearly indicates a long-term plan of his
and his parasites to destroy the democratically elected
government of this country," Works Minister S. Samy Vellu was
quoted by local media as saying.

"....he has chosen to destroy the economy of developing
nations (and) for this he must be punished," Samy said, without
elaborating.

Mahathir, who has clashed sporadically with Soros since
economic turmoil swept through Asia last year, kept his silence
over the financier's latest remarks.

"Let's talk about other things, more interesting things," he
told reporters on Saturday in the northern resort island of
Langkawi.

Mahathir has also sought to keep his distance from commenting
on U.S. Vice-President Al Gore after Gore openly endorsed Anwar's
movement to drive the Malaysian leader from office.

Soros, in a speech at a U.S. university, said: "I hope that
Anwar will be either let out of jail or if he's put in jail, the
public opinion is going to turn against Mahathir."

Anwar was sacked as finance and deputy prime minister on Sept.
2, the day after the country imposed radical currency controls to
curb speculation.

He was arrested 18 days later after unprecedented street
protests calling for an end to Mahathir's rule and is now being
tried on sex and corruption charges, which he has denied.

Meanwhile, a Malaysian opposition leader released after two
weeks in jail vowed Sunday to continue his fight for democracy,
on the eve of the resumption of ousted deputy premier Anwar
Ibrahim's trial.

Tien Chua, chairman of the People's Coalition for Democracy
(Gagasan), told AFP that he would continue to uphold democracy in
Malaysia and the right to freely voice opinions.

"It feels good to be free," he said. "This is a form of police
intimidation, perhaps to show to the public that they would take
serious action on people who challenge the government."

Chua, 35, was first detained on Nov. 21 along with three
others after police broke up an anti-government protest.

Nine days later, he was given bail but was re-arrested after
police allegedly found seditious printed materials in his house.

Chua was again granted bail by a magistrates court Saturday
but must report to the police station on Dec. 19 to determine if
the bail will be extended, or if he will be charged or released
unconditionally.

Chua said his two weeks in lock-up opened his eyes to how
police handle dissent.

"There was a lot of physical and verbal threats, abuse and
harassment," he said. "During the period, I developed fever and
flu due to poor and unhygienic prison conditions. I am still
coughing now."

The state-run Bernama news agency reported that supporters of
another figure, the Democratic Action Party's Deputy Secretary-
General Lim Guan Eng, gathered on Sunday outside a prison after
they were refused entry to wish the political dissident a happy
birthday.

Lim is serving an 18-month jail sentence after having been
found guilty of violating Malaysia's Seditious Act and
Publications and Printing Presses Act.

He is the son of Lim Kit Siang, who is the opposition leader
in the Southeast Asian nation's Parliament, and secretary-general
of the Democratic Action Party.