Huh? Anwar Arrested For ‘Illegal Drilling’

From a concerned Associated Press:

Opposition Leader in Malaysia Is Arrested

Published: July 16, 2008

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian police arrested opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on Wednesday on suspicion that he sodomized a male aide, pre-empting his voluntary appearance at the police headquarters to answer the allegation.

The arrest was likely to exacerbate the political divisions and tensions that have been running high in Malaysia since the opposition made unprecedented gains in the March general elections to whittle away the ruling coalition’s strength in Parliament.

Anwar has denied the sodomy accusation — made in a police complaint by the 23-year-old male aide last month — calling it a political conspiracy by the government to snuff out his campaign to bring the opposition to power by September.

About a dozen policemen, some of them wearing ski masks, cordoned off the road leading to Anwar’s house and stopped his car, said his lawyer Sankara Nair. He said Anwar was arrested for suspected sodomy…

Meanwhile, the crowd of supporters milled around on sidewalks and on the main street, which was closed to traffic, while a heavy police presence including water cannons kept a close watch. There was no violence.

”This is not a criminal case but a political case,” said Azmin Ali, the vice president of Anwar’s People’s Justice Party, adding that the arrest was ”outrageous and very uncivilized.” …

Criminal Investigation Department chief Mohamad Bakri Zinin said in a statement that Anwar was ‘’safe under police custody.” Zinin refused to answer questions.

Nair said he expects Anwar to be charged under a law that makes sodomy, even between consenting adults, a crime punishable by up to 20 years in jail. Anwar can be held in custody for up to 14 days as a suspect without charge.

His wife Azizah said she is apprehensive because Anwar has a bad back. She said Anwar told him in a telephone conversation that police were ”not gentle” with him.

”There is no basis for this whole fabrication and malicious attacks. It is just a repeat of the 1998 script. You can see the pattern,” Anwar said in Putrajaya…

This is so confusing.