As friends and supporters of jailed ex-deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim await news o­n his possible release today, police sent several trucks to monitor his home in Damansara, Kuala Lumpur, this morning.

Anwar's wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said her eldest daughter saw about 10 police trucks assembled outside the house early this morning, but the convoy left at around 10am when police saw nothing out of the ordinary was going o­n.

The Keadilan president said she was puzzled as to why the police needed to send such a big force there since there was no plan to hold any mass gathering at her home.

"I think it was probably just to intimidate us and to warn supporters from holding a gathering here. (But) we o­nly plan to have a small gathering for sembahyang hajat and majlis tahlil tonight," she told malaysiakini when met at her home.

Anwar is completing two-thirds of his six-year jail sentence for corrupt practice today and has since applied to stay his second jail sentence of nine years for sodomy.

His application for bail was heard at the Court of Appeal last week but no date has been fixed yet. If he fails in his application, he would have to serve his sentence until 2009.

Leaders intimidated

Wan Azizah claimed a couple of Keadilan leaders - Azmin Ali (Anwar's ex-private secretary and Hulu Kelang state assembly representative) and Abdul Rahman Yusof (Kemamam MP) - found the same situation outside their doorstep.

"I just received a call from them that police trucks are stationed in front of their houses as well," she said.

However, she expected the police to return and monitor her house, saying they would probably want to discourage people from attending the prayers.

Asked o­n Anwar's chance to be given bail, Wan Azizah said there is little hope for her husband's application to be allowed.

"If he is to be released today, we would have gotten the relevant documents already by now. There were strong objections (to the bail application) from the Attorney-General (Abdul Gani Patail). We all saw the body language in court and I don't think the results are going to be positive. Even my husband told me not to expect anything," she said.

Most of her family and close friends are prepared for the worst, except her youngest daughter Nurul Hana whom she said had been "counting the days".

"She is still very young. She really wants her father home and even planned to go see Disney's World o­n Ice with him. She told her elder sisters that she wants to spend the whole evening with her father alone," said Wan Azizah.

Anwar and Wan Azizah have five daughters and o­ne son, aged between 10 and 23 years.

Lawyers disappointed

Meanwhile Anwar's lawyer Sankara Nair said he has yet to get any information as to when the Court of Appeal would make its decision.

"We, the lawyers, are in a predicament. We have duly informed the court o­n Wednesday when we argued for the bail that April 14 is a crucial date for us. This is because Anwar's eligibility to seek bail starts today," he said when contacted.

"Bearing that in mind, we had hoped that the court would fix the latest by today to make its decision. But that was obviously not considered and we are most disappointed."

He said he would try to get Anwar's instruction o­n the next plan of action as soon as possible.

There was no response from the Chief Justice's office when contacted for comments.