KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim sought refuge at the Turkish Embassy at the invitation of its Ambassador to Malaysia Barlas Ozener.
The PKR de factor leader wrote on his blog at anwaribrahimblog.com that he had gone to the embassy because he feared for his personal safety.
Embassy rush: A crowd gathering outside the Turkish embassy where Anwar has sought refuge. He claims he is holed up in there because his life could be in danger. – KAMARUL ARIFFIN/ The Star
“I was transported to the embassy earlier this morning (Sunday). I thank all those who offered to assist me in this time of need and am grateful to the Turkish ambassador for extending an invitation to me to seek refuge within the embassy,” he said.
“I would like to assure my family, friends and supporters in Malaysia that I am safe and remain committed as ever before in continuing the struggle for a free and just Malaysia.”
He also alleged that since the general election, he had received information from credible sources within the Government and military intelligence that there were agents from within the Barisan Nasional leadership who were plotting to harm him, his family or supporters.
Anwar said he would make public new evidence which implicated Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan and Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail.
He also termed the new allegations against him as a charade orchestrated by the Barisan leadership and meant to undermine the reform that started after the general election.
“The allegations that have been made against me on Saturday are nothing more than a replay of the events which transpired in 1998 when I was sacked from the office of the deputy prime minister, jailed and beaten, and then charged and convicted by a kangaroo court for crimes which I never committed.”
A group of Anwar supporters gathered outside the embassy from 4pm and later some PKR leaders also emerged.
They included Penang Deputy Chief Minister I Mohammad Fairus Khairudin, PKR supreme council member Badrul Hisham Shaharin and PKR Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Akin.
Badrul Hisham said many embassies, especially from the Middle East, had offered refuge to Anwar but he had chosen Turkey because of his close ties with the country, including having served as its economic adviser.
“He is not seeking political asylum and he is not a political refugee. He needs to be in a safe place where he can think of what to do next,” he said.
He added that Anwar had asked his supporters to remain calm and obtain information from reliable sources.
“He knows there are many rumours going around at the moment. I spoke to him and he sounded calm. He is okay,” said Badrul Hisham.
Cheras OCPD Asst Comm Ahmad Amir Mohd Hashim said a team of 40 police personnel members, including from the Light Strike Force, were on standby at the embassy.
“The situation is under control and those who gathered at the embassy cooperated with our men,” he added.
Meanwhile, Anwar’s lawyer S.N. Nair went to the Brickfields police station yesterday morning to get a copy of the police report on the sodomy allegation.
However, he failed to get the report, which was made at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital, and has now officially written to the Brickfields OCPD for a copy.
A copy of his application for the report has also been forwarded to the Inspector-General of Police, the KL police chief and the Attorney-General.
Re: Malaysian Opposition Leader seeks refuge in Turkish Embassy
Monday June 30, 2008
Man behind Anwar sodomy report seen posing with Cabinet ministers
SHAH ALAM: PKR has released four sets of pictures showing the man who made a police report alleging sodomy by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The pictures were taken at the office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the accuser was posing with three Cabinet ministers.
One of the pictures showed Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, 23, posing with Khairil Anas Yusof, an aide at the Deputy Prime Minister's office. Raising questions: Wan Azizah showing a photo of Mohd Saiful (left) posing with Khairil Anas Yusof, an aide at the Deputy Prime Minister’s office, during the press conference in Shah Alam yesterday.
“I have a picture actually showing the link to the Deputy Prime Minister,” PKR president Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail told a packed press conference after the PKR supreme council meeting.
“The young man who lodged the police report (against Anwar) was in the Deputy Prime Minister's office. I think that is explanatory.
“Next to the young man is the Deputy Prime Minister's special officer Khairil Anas Yusof,” she said.
Mohd Saiful, a student leader at a local university and Anwar's special assistant during the March general election, made a police report that he was sodomised by Anwar last Thursday.
Asked if she was implying that Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak was behind the allegation, Dr Wan Azizah said it was just speculation.
“I mean, the picture is (was taken) at the Deputy Prime Minister's office. That's it,” she said.
Asked whether the allegation was another political conspiracy against Anwar, similar to the one in 1998, she said: “Very much so. This is a second conspiracy, a political murder that has been committed against my husband. An attempted murder politically.”
On whether the allegation had any relevance to the allegation linking Najib to Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu's murder, she said: “You can link it because it's another diversion from the issueswe are facing in our country. This is a political diversion.”
Dr Wan Azizah, however, could not tell when the pictures were taken and did not disclose who forwarded them to her handphone.
The other pictures were of Mohd Saiful posing with Agriculture and Agro-based Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, Tourism Minister Datuk Azalina Othman and Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad.
Asked why Anwar was not present at the press conference, Dr Wan Azizah said he received a death threat a few weeks ago.
“He is in a safe place to protect him from danger. We have reason to believe that Anwar's safety is at risk. We received death threats. We were given the advice to take care of Anwar's life,” she said.
On whether Anwar would lodge a police report on the death threats, she said they would discuss the matter with the lawyers.
“We have to protect ourselves at the moment. A lot of Malaysians seek his leadership. Therefore, we have to protect him not only because he is my husband but also because he's the leader of our country,” Wan Azizah said.
When contacted, Shahrir declined to comment on the pictures, saying that he had taken many photos with many people.
Re: Malaysian Opposition Leader seeks refuge in Turkish Embassy
Malaysian opposition leader takes refuge in Turkish Embassy
Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim took refuge at the Turkish Embassy in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday after police began investigating an allegation that he sodomized his male aide.
Police and supporters of Anwar Ibrahim are seen outside the Turkish Embassy in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday. Ibrahim took refuge at the embassy due to fears he could be assassinated.
Anwar, 60, dismissed the accusation, made in a police complaint filed by the 23-year-old aide on Saturday, as "a complete fabrication." The sodomy allegation is "clearly a desperate attempt by the ... regime to arrest the movement of the Malaysian people toward freedom, democracy and justice," Anwar said in a written statement early Sunday.
Hours later, he had moved to the Turkish Embassy amid concerns about being arrested and also because he had received anonymous death threats, said party official Azmin Ali.
"The [Turkish] ambassador agreed to ensure his safety," Azmin said. Embassy officials could not immediately be contacted. In Ankara, Foreign Ministry officials were also unable to comment on the situation immediately.
He is there for protection but he is not seeking political asylum," Tian Chua, the spokesman for Anwar's political party, said by telephone. "We just want to make sure that he is secure."
The dramatic developments that began to unfold a little before midnight Saturday will likely further roil Malaysian politics, which have been in turmoil since March 8 elections handed the governing National Front coalition its worst-ever result.
A three-party opposition coalition led by Anwar made spectacular gains, winning an unprecedented 82 seats in the 222-member Parliament and the legislatures of five states. Anwar has threatened to engineer defections from the National Front to bring down the government by September.
Anwar's wife, Azizah Ismail, said her husband was "safe and sound" for now, but described the sodomy accusation as an attempt at "political murder."
More than 50 supporters gathered outside the Turkish Embassy anticipating a visit by Anwar's family. Police blocked roads in the area in an apparent security precaution.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi insisted the government was not responsible for the accusation, saying there was no conspiracy "to cause [Anwar] trouble or harass him or raise such issues to undermine him."
Asked about Anwar's denial, Abdullah said it "was common for an accused person" to claim he was innocent.
Anwar, a charismatic politician, was once part of the ruling establishment, rising to the post of deputy prime minister and finance minister in then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's government in the 1990s. But it all unraveled in 1998 when he was accused of sodomizing his driver and abusing his power to cover up the deed. Mahathir fired him from the government and had him jailed. Anwar was subsequently convicted on both charges but Malaysia's highest court overturned the sodomy conviction and freed him in 2004.
30 June 2008, Monday
KUALA LUMPUR/ANKARA AP WITH TODAY'S ZAMAN
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Anwar takes up refuge offer from Turkish embassy
Embassy rush: A crowd gathering outside the Turkish embassy where Anwar has sought refuge. He claims he is holed up in there because his life could be in danger. – KAMARUL ARIFFIN/ The Star
Raising questions: Wan Azizah showing a photo of Mohd Saiful (left) posing with Khairil Anas Yusof, an aide at the Deputy Prime Minister’s office, during the press conference in Shah Alam yesterday.
Police and supporters of Anwar Ibrahim are seen outside the Turkish Embassy in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday. Ibrahim took refuge at the embassy due to fears he could be assassinated.
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