KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim took refuge at the Turkish embassy Sunday after denying allegations he sodomised a male aide, the same charge that saw him jailed a decade ago.
The former deputy prime minister denounced as a "complete fabrication" a police report allegedly lodged by the 23-year-old aide, and said it was an attempt to sideline his spectacular return to the political stage in March elections.
He said 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.
"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.
"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.
The new sex charges triggered fears Anwar faced imminent arrest, but police said they would first carry out an investigation.
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.
"These actions are being repeated today to undermine the forces of reform and renewal which were unleashed in the March 2008 elections," Anwar said, dismissing the affair as a "charade".
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 the fabrication of evidence in the original case against him.
"I urge the Malaysian people to stand against the repressive forces that will be unleashed by the government in the coming days and weeks," he said.
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 which she condemned as "a political murder against my husband".
She produced a photograph of the aide with a staff member of a senior politician and 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." - AFP/vm
Channel NewsAsia
30/06/08
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