Anwar's Crisis's

Embassy standoff

Malaysian opposition figure Anwar Ibrahim faces new allegations of sodomy and sexual assault. The former Deputy Prime Minister had been indicted and jailed under similar charges over a decade ago. Ibrahim claims the allegations are a complete fabrication and fears for his safety.
He has taken refuge in a Turkish embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
Police are investigating and the government wants his immediate handover.

Malaysia's Anwar demands govt guarantee his safety

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who took refuge at the Turkish embassy amid threats and sodomy accusations, said Monday he will not leave until the Malaysian government guarantees his safety.

Foreign Minister Rais Yatim reportedly accused Turkey of meddling in Malaysia's affairs, saying it had no right to give sanctuary to Anwar, a friend of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"I need categorical assurance on my safety. You know I have previously been assaulted to near death," Anwar said, referring to a beating he received after being sacked as deputy premier and hit with sex and corruption charges in 1998.

"Sure, if they give me an assurance for my safety today I will leave the embassy today," he told AFP in a phone interview from the mission in downtown Kuala Lumpur.

Anwar fled there on Sunday, saying he had been threatened and feared a government assassination plot after facing "fabricated" accusations that he sodomised a male aide -- the same charge that saw him jailed a decade ago.

"There's two reasons why I decided to come to the embassy. It's not just for my personal safety, it's also for the stability of the nation," he said, referring to expectations of major protests if he is arrested.

"I urge my supporters to be calm but firm. Enough is enough, we will fight it out."
Anwar's lawyers on Monday filed a writ at the High Court charging the 23-year-old aide with libel and filing a false police report, saying the complaint was malicious and designed to "destroy" his political career.

Rais Yatim said Turkish ambassador Barlas Ozener will have to explain his actions at a meeting at the ministry scheduled for Monday.
"When you run away from the law, it is not the same as facing some political persecution. As such, the embassy cannot grant him any sort of protection," Rais told The Star daily.
Anwar said the allegations were aimed at derailing his spectacular political comeback as the figurehead of the opposition which made unprecedented gains in March elections, and came just as he was about to re-enter parliament.
"This is their intention. You know we will announce a by-election this week. I will contest in the by-election, the police knew that," he told AFP.
After his sacking, a watershed event in Malaysian politics, Anwar was convicted on sodomy and corruption charges which landed him in jail for six years. He was released in 2004 when the sex charge was overturned.
Anwar, who has said since the March elections that he has the numbers to form a new government with the help of defecting lawmakers from the ruling coalition, said he was still on track to seize power.
"The momentum is still on, I will continue to monitor the progress. It has never been so good, they know that," he said of the government which is led by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's UMNO party.
"UMNO members and MPs have promised to come out and campaign for me so they come out with these sexual allegations to stop me from securing power," he said.
Anwar said that after his experiences a decade ago, he had no faith in the "due process" of the law in Malaysia, and reiterated allegations that elements in the government had orchestrated the new charges.
"Certain people in the hierarchy are involved in these allegations. Evidence from photos shows this," he said, referring to images of his accuser posing with ministers and government aides which his party has aired.
"They have made fabrications in the court, do they want me to believe in due process?" he asked.
Anwar said that elements in the police who were involved in the original investigation against him were now acting to sideline him because they feared revenge if he becomes prime minister.
"If you want to fight a political battle, do it cleanly," he said.

Malaysia pressures Turkish envoy over Anwar refuge

Malaysia will press the Turkish ambassador to reconsider his decision to give refuge to opposition figurehead Anwar Ibrahim, who has said he fears for his life, a report said Monday.
Anwar fled to the embassy Sunday after denying allegations he sodomised a male aide, the same charge that saw him jailed a decade ago.
"I have been told that my assassination has not been ruled out as a means to subvert the people's will and bring an end to the transformational changes taking place in Malaysia," he said in a statement.
Foreign Minister Rais Yatim said ambassador Barlas Ozener will have to explain why he gave refuge to Anwar in a meeting at the ministry scheduled for Monday, the Star daily reported.
"We will ask the ambassador to reconsider (giving Anwar refuge) as it is meddling in Malaysia's internal affairs," Rais told the paper.
"If (Anwar) is evading any sort of preventive law like the (Internal Security Act), then it is a different matter," he added.
"But he is being sought for an investigation involving sodomy, which is a crime under the penal code," Rais said.
"When you run away from the law, it is not the same as facing some political persecution. As such, the embassy cannot grant him any sort of protection."
Anwar, a friend of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, took refuge on the invitation of the ambassador.
Anwar has denounced as a "complete fabrication" a police report allegedly lodged by the 23-year-old aide, saying it was an attempt to sideline his spectacular return to the political stage.
His opposition alliance seized a third of parliamentary seats and five states in March elections that threaten to unseat Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who faces calls to quit over the polls debacle.
Anwar was sacked as deputy prime minister in 1998 and convicted on sodomy and corruption charges which he said were politically motivated. He spent six years in jail but was released in 2004 when the sex charge was overturned.
"I believe we are witnessing a repeat of the methods used against me in 1998 when false allegations were made under duress," Anwar said on the weekend.
The new sex charges triggered fears Anwar faced imminent arrest, but police said they would first carry out an investigation.

Malaysia's Anwar denounces new sex charges as 'fabrication'

Malaysia's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on Sunday denounced as a "complete fabrication" allegations that he sodomised a male aide, the same charge that saw him jailed a decade ago.
Anwar, who was sacked as deputy prime minister in 1998 and convicted on sex and corruption charges, said the allegations were an attempt to sideline his spectacular return to the political stage in March elections.
"The police report lodged against me earlier today is a complete fabrication. I believe we are witnessing a repeat of the methods used against me in 1998 when false allegations were made under duress," he said.
Anwar said death threats had been made against him and that since Sunday he has taken refuge at the Turkish embassy in Kuala Lumpur on the invitation of the ambassador.
"I have been told that my assassination has not been ruled out as means to subvert the people's will and bring an end to the transformational changes taking place in Malaysia," Anwar said in a statement.
The new sex charges, which allegedly surfaced in a complaint lodged by a 23-year-old aide, triggered fears Anwar faced imminent arrest, but police said they would first carry out an investigation.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, whose government was shaken by the elections that handed the opposition unprecedented gains including a third of parliamentary seats, denied any involvement in the affair.
"We had no plans to do anything to him just because he says he's made a political comeback," Abdullah told a press conference.
Criminal Investigation Department chief Bakri Zinin said the aide had personally written the report detailing an incident at a condominium in an upmarket Kuala Lumpur suburb.
"It's mere allegation at this point. We will look into it and establish the allegations first to see whether it is true or not," he told reporters.
Anwar said the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition was striking back after he gave evidence against the government and police over fabrication of evidence in the original case against him.
"This is clearly a desperate attempt by the Barisan Nasional regime to arrest the movement of the Malaysian people towards freedom, democracy and justice," he said in a statement.
"I urge the Malaysian people to stand against the repressive forces that will be unleashed by the government in the coming days and weeks."
Anwar has always dismissed the original 1998 charges of sodomy and corruption as politically motivated. He famously appeared in court with a black eye after being beaten by the police chief.
He was convicted on both charges and spent six years in jail but was released in 2004 when the sex charge was overturned by the nation's highest court.
Since the March polls, Anwar has said he is poised to form a new government with the help of defectors from the ruling coalition, undermining Abdullah who has faced repeated demands to step down over the election debacle.
Anwar's wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail accused the government of orchestrating the allegations and produced a photograph of the 23-year-old aide with a staff member of a senior politician.
She said it proved a link with the government, which was trying to divert attention away from problems such as fuel price hikes.
About 100 supporters gathered at a hotel where Anwar's Keadilan party leaders were meeting, shouting "Reformasi" or "Reform," the opposition movement's battlecry.
"We will take to the streets if they arrest him," said social activist Marvin Madahvan.
James Chin, a political analyst from Malaysia's Monash campus, said more mud-slinging would emerge as the date approaches by which Anwar said he would seize power.
"As we head towards September 16, Anwar's own deadline on when he will topple the government, more and more political things will be coming out of the closet from both sides," he told AFP.
"In all probability, these sorts of events are designed to distract the population from real issues such as the slowdown in the economy and the rising fuel prices."

Malaysia's Anwar to be investigated on sex charges: police

Malaysia's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim will be investigated over new allegations of sodomy, police said Saturday, the same charge that saw him jailed a decade ago.
Anwar's Keadilan party said that one of his aides, Saiful Bahari, had been arrested and "forced" to make a statement saying he was sodomised by the opposition leader.
"Yes, we have received a police report from an aide of Anwar Ibrahim that he was sodomised. But no, we will not arrest Anwar at the moment," said deputy police chief Ismail Omar.
"We will investigate this report first. We will look into it and carry out the necessary steps before issuing any warrant of arrest," he told AFP.
Keadilan officials said that Anwar and other top members of the party were holding crisis talks and feared that he could be arrested soon.
"The party's leaders are discussing the next step to be taken and an official statement will be released soon," an official said.

The charismatic leader of Malaysia's resurgent opposition was a respected deputy prime minister and finance minister until 1998 when he was sacked and later jailed on sodomy and corruption charges.

Anwar, who famously appeared in court with a black eye after being beaten by the police chief, said the charges were politically motivated.

He spent six years in jail until the sex charge was overturned, but the corruption conviction kept him out of politics until recently.

In March he led an alliance of opposition parties to unprecedented gains, wresting a third of parliamentary seats and five states from the Barisan Nasional coalition which has ruled for half a century.

Since then he has claimed he has the support of enough government lawmakers to form a new administration.

The opposition's success has badly shaken Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who has resisted repeated demands to step down over the election debacle.

A minor party in the ruling coalition this month called for an unprecedented vote of no-confidence in the premier, and left open the prospect of joining Anwar's opposition.