Malaysian minister denies Amnesty's secret killings report

Malaysia's home minister on Thursday denied his country carried out executions in secret as claimed in a recent report by human rights group Amnesty International.

Amnesty, in a report on death sentences and executions on Tuesday, said "many countries carry out executions in secret and refuse to divulge any information on the use of the death penalty."
It said these countries include China, Singapore, Malaysia and Mongolia.

"We do not have secret killings, as anyone who commits a crime here has to go through the process of law. We cannot simply kill people, Malaysia is a country of law," home minister Syed Hamid Albar told state news agency Bernama.

"I don't know how they could come up with such a report. Did they meet and speak to anyone or just listen to rumours?" he added.

Amnesty International Malaysia coordinator K. Shanmuganathan said in a statement that the report did not put forward any fact of arbitrary executions in the country.

He also urged the government to provide more reliable information about executions.
Amnesty International Malaysia "calls on the government of Malaysia to make an official release on all statistics on executions and death sentences in Malaysia to date," he said in the statement.
Attempts by AFP to reach Shanmuganathan for additional comment were not successful.

Agence France-Presse - 4/17/2008 11:43 AM GMT

Malaysian police probe Anwar's wife over illegal rally

Malaysian police on Wednesday began investigating the wife of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and other top party leaders over a banned gathering to mark his return to active politics.

Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Anwar's wife, who heads the Keadilan party, was among four people questioned following a rally Monday which police said was illegal.

"We have answered all their questions and we leave it to the police," Wan Azizah later told reporters.

"If you compare what happened here to (the way the police treat the ruling United Malays National Organisation), it would seem that we are getting more attention," she said in a reference to the way police disrupted Monday's gathering.

Anwar, a former deputy prime minister who was sacked and jailed a decade ago, said at the rally he had enough support to form a government but would not act until he had a more comfortable majority.

But police halted his speech midway and closed down the rally, which drew 10,000 supporters to celebrate the end of his ban from politics.

Party vice president Azmin Ali, Selangor state chief minister Khalid Ibrahim and his aide were also ordered to turn up at police headquarters.

Azmin said he did not understand why police were keen to investigate gathering.
"(The police) had a series of meetings (with organisers) prior to the event. Even on the day itself, they sent down senior police officers to discuss the traffic flow outside the club," he added.
The rally marked the expiry of Anwar's official ban from public office.

Once seen as the heir apparent to long-time leader Mahathir Mohamad, he was subsequently convicted on sex and corruption charges and spent six years in jail, before storming back to prominence in March elections.

With Anwar at the helm a reinvigorated opposition seized a third of parliamentary seats and five states in the worst ever showing for the Barisan Nasional coalition that has ruled for half a century.

Malaysia's Mahathir urges PM Abdullah to resign

Veteran ex-leader Mahathir Mohamad on Tuesday urged Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to resign following disastrous election results.

Abdullah, also president of the ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), is facing increasing calls to quit from party leaders.

"I ask (Abdullah) to resign," the former prime minister, who ruled Malaysia for 22 years, told a gathering of at least 2,000 UMNO members.

The focus of the meeting was to analyse the March 8 election results but it turned out to be a platform to demand Abdullah's resignation.

UMNO members criticised Abdullah and the alleged influence son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin, who is a deputy leader of the powerful UMNO youth wing, has over him in decision-making.
"Anyone else would have already resigned but (Abdullah) has no shame," Mahathir, who picked Abdullah to succeed him October 2003, told a cheering crowd.

Mahathir said Abdullah had ignored the will of the people, while the veteran's son, Mukhriz, a lawmaker, echoed the call for Abdullah to go.

"To bring about (reform), the top leadership has to be held responsible. The prime minister must gracefully withdraw," Mukhriz said.

He urged UMNO members to speak out and not be intimidated.

"Be brave, if you love your country and speak out," he said. "We have been told to keep quiet but I ask you now to stand by my side."

Abdullah, 68, has claimed a mandate to rule despite unprecedented election losses, but observers say he is on borrowed time.

Senior lawmaker Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah had said he would challenge Abdullah's leadership if he received enough support.

Agence France-Presse - 4/1/2008 9:12 AM GMT MSN