Police thwart bid to mark Anwar's 55th birthday
Supporters of jailed Malaysian ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim attempted today to celebrate the politician's 55th birthday outside his prison but were blocked by police.
Anwar, who was sacked and jailed in 1998, turned 55 on Saturday. His supporters have each year tried to gather outside the Sungai Buloh prison on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur to symbolically mark the day but their attempts have always been thwarted by police.
Raja Petra Kamaruddin, director of the Free Anwar Movement, said supporters in a convoy of 30 cars were also unsuccessful this year and were stopped at a police roadblock about 10 kilometres from the prison.
"We assembled at the Sungai Buloh town, where we cut a birthday cake and chanted a few 'reformasi' (reform) songs. We have expected the heavy police presence," he told AFP .
There was a small scuffle with police who tried to stop them, and two people were arrested but released shortly after the crowd agreed to disperse peacefully, he added.
Top Keadilan leaders present
Raja Petra said there were some 200 supporters but an AFP photographer at the scene estimated the crowd at about 50.
Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail who leads the National Justice Party, visited her husband Saturday and did not join the crowd as she has left for a pilgrimage to Mecca, Raja Petra said. Top Keadilan leaders were also absent.
Anwar, who is serving 15 years on sex and corruption charges, claims he was framed to prevent a political challenge to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, a charge the government denies.
The politician last month failed in his bid to have his corruption conviction overturned when the country's highest court rejected his appeal.
On Friday, Anwar filed for a review of the Federal Court's dismissal of his case in his last chance to overthrow his 1999 corruption conviction for which he was sentenced to six years in jail.
He is still appealing against a separate conviction for sodomy and a nine-year jail sentence. AFP
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