Malaysia Politics

Riot police in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur used water cannons to disperse thousands of anti-government demonstrators gathered at a mosque Friday for another rally demanding political reforms. Police had warned protesters that they could face arrest under a law that bans rallies and allows for indefinite detention without trial. Protesters pumped their fists and shouted "Reformasi," or reform, and passing cars honked four times to punctuate the opposition rally cry.

Aida Melly Tan Abdullah was in a marital wilderness for seven years because her abusive husband refused to give her a divorce even after secretly taking a second wife. She says she lost count of the number of times she was in and out of Islamic courts to fight for her freedom, unable to convince judges she was the aggrieved party -- the victim of a man who regularly abused her verbally and once punched her at a supermarket. "I was in a state of limbo. ...

Several thousand demonstrators marched through Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital, demanding that Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad resign. The crowd also demanded the release of former Deputy Premier Anwar Ibrahim, 51. Anwar was fired Sept. 2 and later charged with corruption and sodomy, which he has denied. The crowd was obeying orders to move on near the king's palace when police opened fire with a water cannon and tear gas. Police said 134 people were arrested.

Saluted by 75 cannon shots, Malaysia's king was buried Thursday evening after a day of colorful but solemn funeral ceremonies on the streets and at plush palaces and ornate mosques. Everyday activities halted as the Southeast Asian nation mourned Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, the figurehead monarch who died Wednesday at age 75 after never recovering from heart surgery seven weeks ago. The day began with a ceremony at the national mosque.

Jailed former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim decided not to run in elections Nov. 29, dealing a setback to the opposition. But the four-party opposition for the first time closed ranks behind common candidates to boost their chances against candidates from Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's coalition. "Anwar feels that it is not worth it [to run] because he will be disqualified," lawyer Zainur Zakaria said.

Hundreds of protesters shouted anti-government slogans, set fires and burned a T-shirt with Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's portrait outside a mosque in the Malaysian capital Saturday. The protesters shouted "Reformasi!" or reform, in front of the mosque in Kampung Baru in the center of Kuala Lumpur, where demonstrators clashed with police two weeks ago in the most violent anti-government demonstration since sacked Deputy Premier Anwar Ibrahim was arrested Sept. 20.

Jailed politician Anwar Ibrahim was hospitalized for tests after his lawyers claimed that Malaysian authorities were poisoning him with arsenic. Karpal Singh, Anwar's lawyer, said secret tests on the former deputy prime minister's urine proved that the 52-year-old politician, who has been in jail for nearly a year, has a high level of arsenic in his body. "I suspect some people in high places, in all likelihood, are responsible for his condition," Karpal said.

Malaysia's fired deputy prime minister told thousands of supporters Friday at a crowded stadium that the prime minister must resign. Anwar Ibrahim's speech boldly escalated a challenge to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who has ruled this Southeast Asian country for 17 years. Anwar has been touring the country speaking to supporters since Mahathir fired him on Sept. 2, saying Anwar was morally unfit.

Saluted by 75 cannon shots, Malaysia's king was buried Thursday evening after a day of colorful but solemn funeral ceremonies on the streets and at plush palaces and ornate mosques. Everyday activities halted as the Southeast Asian nation mourned Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, the figurehead monarch who died Wednesday at age 75 after never recovering from heart surgery seven weeks ago. The day began with a ceremony at the national mosque.

The son of the spiritual leader of Malaysia's opposition Islamic fundamentalist party was arrested under harsh internal security laws that have netted 10 people in two days. Nik Adli Nik Abdul Aziz, a religious teacher, was arrested in part of a sweep that the police say is aimed at crushing a little-known militant group accused of waging a violent campaign to install a hard-line Islamic state. Nik Adli, 34, is the son of opposition leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat.

The son of the spiritual leader of Malaysia's opposition Islamic fundamentalist party was arrested under harsh internal security laws that have netted 10 people in two days. Nik Adli Nik Abdul Aziz, a religious teacher, was arrested in part of a sweep that the police say is aimed at crushing a little-known militant group accused of waging a violent campaign to install a hard-line Islamic state. Nik Adli, 34, is the son of opposition leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat.

More than 1,000 people filled the streets of this capital to greet a jailed politician Wednesday, cheering, "We are with you!" as Anwar Ibrahim returned home under heavy guard for his mother's funeral. Despite warnings not to turn Anwar's brief furlough into a political event, about 250 people scuffled with police later in the day at the grave site in Kuala Lumpur. They blocked the path of the ambulance carrying Anwar away from the funeral.

More than 25,000 opposition supporters gathered in Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's home state Saturday, pledging to end the leader's 19-year control of the Southeast Asian nation. The crowd, mostly Malay Muslims who were once Mahathir's primary backers, gathered in the town of Jitra, about 300 miles north of the capital, Kuala Lumpur. "Our political attitude is growing mature," Abdul Hadi Awang, vice president of the fundamentalist Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, told the crowd.

After nearly two years of scandal and lurid revelations, the courtroom sex saga of former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is nearing a close, leaving this conservative country a bit shellshocked. Ariffin Jaka, who is both judge and jury, abruptly ended the marathon trial in late June and ordered lawyers to submit closing arguments in writing. He hopes to rule this month on whether Anwar sodomized his chauffeur as charged and, if so, on the punishment.

Jailed former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim decided not to run in elections Nov. 29, dealing a setback to the opposition. But the four-party opposition for the first time closed ranks behind common candidates to boost their chances against candidates from Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's coalition. "Anwar feels that it is not worth it [to run] because he will be disqualified," lawyer Zainur Zakaria said.

Jailed politician Anwar Ibrahim was hospitalized for tests after his lawyers claimed that Malaysian authorities were poisoning him with arsenic. Karpal Singh, Anwar's lawyer, said secret tests on the former deputy prime minister's urine proved that the 52-year-old politician, who has been in jail for nearly a year, has a high level of arsenic in his body. "I suspect some people in high places, in all likelihood, are responsible for his condition," Karpal said.

Pulling his car out of the parking lot of the Sarawak Forest Department, Philip Ngau Jalong nodded at the surrounding buildings and driveways and said, "This was all forest reserve land." And they cut the trees down to put up the Forest Department? He gave an embarrassed laugh--more an involuntary facial grimace than a sound--as he continued, gesturing across the highway, "The golf course too. State reserve."

He wouldn't put it quite this way, but the past year has been a bit mystifying to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who has towered over Malaysian politics as none before him and whose legacy, until an economic crisis, had seemed assured. Why would Malaysians call for one of Asia's longest-serving leaders to resign after all he's done for them? Why would his most trusted ally, a man he created politically, turn on him?

He wouldn't put it quite this way, but the past year has been a bit mystifying to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who has towered over Malaysian politics as none before him and whose legacy, until an economic crisis, had seemed assured. Why would Malaysians call for one of Asia's longest-serving leaders to resign after all he's done for them? Why would his most trusted ally, a man he created politically, turn on him?

The wife of Malaysia's jailed former No. 2 leader launched a political party Sunday, calling on the opposition to unite to topple Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. The wife of former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, and a roster of the country's top political activists joined forces in launching the National Justice Party.