From The South China Morning Post, HK 24th April 2000

Opposition leaders said yesterday they would file a police report and lawsuit against Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, demanding that the Attorney-General charge Malaysia's ruler for spreading "vicious rumours" and inciting fear.

The move was aimed at stopping the Government from accusing its rivals of plotting violent protests in the Malaysian capital to oust Dr Mahathir, said National Justice Party (Keadilan) officials.

"The Prime Minister is guilty of hurling vicious rumours against us," said party vice-president Tian Chua.

"We want the Attorney-General to charge him for causing unnecessary terror among the people."

Dr Mahathir earlier this month warned that Keadilan might stage a riot in Kuala Lumpur to mark the first anniversary of jailed politician Anwar Ibrahim's conviction.

The Prime Minister said Anwar's supporters were armed and prepared to attack security forces. He told the opposition to cancel any planned protest.

Hundreds of Malaysians defied the warning and demonstrated in downtown Kuala Lumpur last weekend.

Scores of police officers wearing riot gear chased, beat and arrested many protesters but found no weapons on any of them, except for a toy gun.

Police detained dozens of opposition activists for nearly a week. Many of them were eventually charged for illegal assembly and insulting police, but none for violence.

Mr Tian Chua said his party would lodge a police report against Dr Mahathir this week for making false claims against the opposition. A lawsuit would probably be filed next month by lawyers for the party, which is headed by Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah Ismail.

Several protesters who were detained this past week also planned to take legal action against police for allegedly beating them during custody and denying them medical treatment, Mr Tian Chua said.

Spokesmen from the Prime Minister's Department were not immediately available for comment.

Street demonstrations first shook the usually placid capital soon after Dr Mahathir fired Anwar as deputy premier in September 1998.

Anwar was subsequently arrested, convicted of corruption and sentenced to six years in prison on April 14 last year. He is now on trial for sodomy, a crime for which he faces another 20 years in jail. Anwar insists Dr Mahathir and other government leaders concocted the charges to prevent him from becoming prime minister.