From The South China Morning Post, HK, 18th April 2000

ASSOCIATED PRESS in Kuala Lumpur

Amnesty International on Tuesday condemned the way peaceful anti-government demonstrators were treated by police during a protest rally and demanded that those arrested be released because they risked police violence.

On Monday, a judge ordered 46 people who attended Saturday's rally detained in jail for another week without trial. Defence attorneys say at least five of those held had been beaten by police.

''There has been an alarming pattern of Malaysian police brutality,'' the London-based human rights group said in a statement which was sent to media organisations.

It said the decision to keep demonstrators in custody ''will leave them vulnerable to abuse.''

The demonstrators were among supporters of former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, whom Amnesty calls a prisoner of conscience. Anwar is serving a six-year sentence and is on trial for allegedly sodomising his former family driver.

Despite stern warnings by police, the protesters took to the streets to mark the first anniversary of his conviction by the High Court on four counts of corruption. The Malaysian Police Act outlaws unauthorised gatherings of more than three people and provides for a prison sentence of up to one year.

Amnesty said that since 1998, when Anwar was sacked by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and then arrested, more than 1,200 people have been arrested in unprecedented public demonstrations.

On Monday, Dr Mahathir denied protesters were beaten by police.''Harsh or not harsh, people must know that they should not demonstrate,'' Dr Mahathir told reporters. ''Let's see them prove that Malaysian police beat up demonstrators. Why is it that the lawyers of the opposition don't talk about the opposition beating up the police and burning their motorcycles?''

Legal Aid attorney Charles Hector told reporters that at least five of those detained said they were beaten in police custody.

''They say they are being kicked around like footballs,'' Mr Hector said.