Ten pro-reformasi demonstrators who turned up to show support for fallen former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim were arrested this morning. Dang Wangi police chief Mohd Bakri Zinin confirmed they were arrested for participating in an illegal assembly and defying police orders to disperse.

Among those arrested were KeADILan Youth deputy secretary N. Gobalakrishnan, DAP member Yap Weng Keong and key reformasi activist Abdul Malek Hussain. The protestors called for Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad to resign and for the release of Anwar. Wearing KeADILan head bands, they sang songs and chanted reformasi slogans.

Those picked-up by the police were among the estimated 200 protestors who turned up at the High Court where Anwar's sodomy trial resumed after it was postponed last November following Mahathir's announcement for a snap election.

The protesters were also at the courthouse to give their support to a number of reformasi activists who were on trial for illegal assembly at the National Mosque on Sept 19. They included KeADILan Youth chief Mohd Ezam Mohd Noor, Anwar's former private secretary Azmin Ali, former law lecturer Badrul Amin, film director and malaysiakini columnist Hishamuddin Rais, political secretary of Opposition Leader Fadzil Noor, Dr Hatta Ramli, and Harakah cartoonist Zunar. Their trial was adjourned to tomorrow.

Two hours into the protest, police moved in on the demonstrators and instructed them to disperse within two minutes. Arrests were made when their call went unheeded. One protester resisted arrest by clinging onto a bus-stop pole. He was dragged away by three police officers with such force that the pole was uprooted from the cement pavement.

Gobalakrishnan, when taken to the police truck, told malaysiakini that he had not committed any crime. "This is becoming a police state," he said. The other detainees chanted "reformasi" with their fist held up in the air when the truck was driven off to the Jalan Stadium police station.

Key KeADILan leaders, vice-president Tian Chua and Ezam later held a discussion with Bakri to secure the release of the detainees.

Those arrested are still in police custody and it is unclear if they would be released today or remanded for further investigation. Bakri declined to comment when contacted by malaysiakini apart from saying that the detainees were currently being interrogated.

Chua said the protesters would re-group outside the High Court tomorrow morning to gather peacefully and show their support for one-time heir apparent Anwar.

Meanwhile, DAP chairman Lim Kit Siang had demanded a public inquiry into the police response to peaceful protests. "The police should never regard peaceful protestors and demonstrators as the 'enemy', should never be over-aggressive, provocative or use excessive force, and must learn to respect the right to peaceful assembly of Malaysians," he said.

He was responding to Abdullah remarks yesterday where he labelled police victims as enemies. Lim said that this was most unacceptable especially as Mahathir had recently conceded that peaceful protestors have an important role to play in the creation of an international civil society.

Mahathir had, in his millennium message on New Year's eve, said that the NGO demonstrations against the World Trade Organisation in Seattle had saved poor countries from collapse under the relentless assaults of global capitalism.

Lim said that the Prime Minister's public concession should have prompted a softer approach on the part of the police in its dealing with peaceful demonstrators in the country.

"This morning's police action and arrests have shown the opposite," he said.