The government "generally respected the human rights of its citizens" though "some serious problems remained" throughout 2002, according to a latest report by the US Department of State.

Among these problems were the killing of suspects by police, the torture and abuse of detainees, and the continued use of the Internal Security Act (ISA) to arrest people without trial, the report said.

It said the appointment of Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah as Chief Justice from December 2000 to last month "appeared to have led to some improvements".

But many observers remained doubtful about the independence and impartiality of the judiciary, especially in high-profile cases, it added.

"The politically motivated convictions of former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim o­n charges of corruption and sodomy in 1999 and 2000 demonstrated the judiciary's lack of independence.

"In May, the Federal Court upheld Anwar's conviction o­n corruption charges. Politically motivated, selective prosecution decreased during the year but continued to be a concern," read the document released o­n March 31.

On the local media, it said the government restrictions, pressure and intimidation continued to lead to a high degree of self-censorship.

The report said although slander and libel awards against journalists and media publications diminished during the year, they represented a restraint o­n press freedom.

It said the government continued to limit the publication of an opposition newspaper, referring to PAS's Harakah , and refused to renew publication permits of several other political weeklies.

"The government also sometimes delayed the release of several foreign weekly magazines. Independent o­nline publications however operated without direct government interference," it said.

The government was also noted to have increased restrictions o­n freedom of assembly and peaceful gatherings, particularly those organised by the opposition.

The report said societal violence and discrimination against women remained problems despite various efforts by the authorities.

Other human rights problems were sexual abuse of children, discrimination against indigenous people especially in land issues, preferences given to ethnic Malays in many areas, and restrictions o­n workers rights.

The report also named Malaysia as a "source and destination country" for trafficking of women and girls for the purpose of prostitution in the region.