BRIDGE: Malaysian police disperse protest as Anwar found guilty:
Thought I'd post last night's verdict just for the record.
Updated Wed Apr 14, 1999 2:27 GMT
By Agence Franec-Presse Kuala Lumpur--Apr 14--Malaysian police today used water cannon to break up a protest by supporters of former Deputy Premier Anwar Ibrahim as he was found guilty in his corruption trial, witnesses said. * * * The dispersal began moments after the national news agency Bernama said that Anwar, facing 4 charges of corruption, had been found guilty on all counts. Details of the verdict were not immediately available. Police backed by paramilitary forces and equipped with rattan sticks and shields earlier gave an ultimatum to the pro-Anwar crowd, which reached 200 people, to voluntarily break up their protest. Before the hearing began, security forces threw a tight security cord on outside the Moorish-style courthouse in central Kuala Lumpur. Some of the supporters carried banners sporting the logo of the National Justice Party, set up by Anwar's wife Azizah earlier this month. "The people are the judge of the nation," one banner read. Anwar, whose trial started on Nov 2, was accused of using his powers to cover up claims of sexual misconduct which he blames on a high-level political conspiracy. He faces up to 14 years' jail if convicted. Anwar was arrested last September and charged after a bitter falling-out with his former mentor, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. Before midnight Tuesday, police ordered an end to a candle-lit vigil by several hundred supporters of Anwar outside a mosque near the court. There was no violence reported. End
news.bridge.com
|
