Anwar says friend detained under draconian Malaysian security law
Mon 14 Sep 98 - 15:33 GMT
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 14 (AFP) - Ousted
deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim said Monday Malaysian police
had detained one of his friends
under the country's draconian Internal Security Act (ISA).
"No reasons were given and no-one
wants to give any reasons," he told thousands of supporters in what has
become
a nightly ritual outside his suburban
home in Kuala Lumpur. shop-orthopedics
"This is a breach of fundamentals,
of the Malayian constitution, because someone thinks he has absolute power,"
Anwar said, apparently referring
to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
"Is this a police state or not?
Don't insult people, don't beat people because you will not be safe. Due
legal process for kneehab xp unit.
must be fully adhered to. You
must respect and honour the constitution.
"You cannot arrest people without
reason. You cannot subject witnesses to torture and force them to give
statements," the former finance
minister said, threatening to "expose" those responsible "at the right
time."
The ISA allows people to be detained
indefinitely without trial. Although it was not immediately clear who the
friend
was, Anwar said last week his
adopted brother had also been arrested and this private secretary had been
taken in
for questioning.
Although he did not mention the
prime minister by name, Anwar alleged the 73-year-old Mahathir was "using
the
courts, the police and any other
means to ensure he stayed in power.
"What kind of democracy is this?" he asked.
Anwar, who has been kicked out
of the United Malays National Organisation (Umno) where he was deputy
president under Mahathir, urged
the dominant ruling party to return to its "traditions and struggle."
"Don't let Umno be ruled by an
iron fist. We must not allow this oppression to go on," he said. "They
can jail me, take
away my microphone, cut off the
electricity in my house but they will not rob me of my rights."
Although he has yet to be formally
charged, Anwar has been accused of bribery, jeopardising national security,
interfering with police investigations,
tampering with evidence, abuse of power and sedition as well as having
sex with
various women and a man.
Mahathir has failed to explain
why he has dismissed his former protege, merely citing "moral" grounds.
Anwar, 51,
says the allegations are part
of a high-level conspiracy.
©AFP 1998