Malaysia opposition leader fears assassination attempt

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim emerged on June 30 from the Turkish embassy in Kuala Lumpur , where he took refuge on June 29 saying his life was in danger. This followed new allegations of "sodomy" that he says were orchestrated by the Barisan Nasional government in a desperate bid to keep its grip on power.
In a statement, he called the sodomy allegation made in a police complaint by the 23-year-old aide "a complete fabrication." Anwar said the accusation was trumped up "to undermine the forces of reform and renewal which were unleashed in the March 2008 election."
Anwar said that he was about to announce this week the defection of four MPs from the BN and his standing in a by-election to pave the way for him to be a Member of Parliament. He had said this was the main reason the BN government had to pre-empt him.
Anwar's wife and president of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (Justice Party), Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, called the investigation a political conspiracy to marginalize her husband and "a repeat of what happened 10 years ago."
Anwar, who spent six years in prison before a stunning return to politics in elections in March, has lodged a defamation suit over the allegations -- the same charge that put him behind bars in 1999. Malaysia's highest court overturned the sodomy conviction in 2004.
Anwar insists he was innocent and that he was framed because he challenged then-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad for power. Mahathir fired him when the sodomy accusation surfaced, and handed him over to police.
While in custody Anwar was beaten up by then police chief Rahim Noor. In his police complaint, Anwar said Musa and Abdul Gani fabricated a medical report to disprove that he was beaten up by Rahim — who later pleaded guilty.
"We are now going on an offensive," said Saiful Izham Ramli, a member of the policy board of Anwar's Keadilan party, which leads a three-member opposition alliance.
He said there would be police reports made as well as a night rally on July 1, as parts of a campaign to fight back against the BN government's campaign to keep him from re-entering parliament.
The PKR and other opposition parties are also building a mass rally against fuel price rises on Sunday July 6.
Source: International news agency reports, Malaysiakini

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