The Melbourne Age 15th March 2001

By MARK BAKER ASIA EDITOR

KUALA LUMPUR

A leading opposition activist has been charged with sedition as the embattled Malaysian Government steps up a wideranging crackdown on political dissent and media criticism.

Ezam Mohamad Noor was charged and released on bail late on Tuesday after being detained for eight days over his involvement in a nationwide campaign of antigovernment street protests that has seen dozens of other activists held without charge.

Mr Ezam was political secretary to the jailed former deputy prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, and heads the youth wing of Keadalin, the party founded after Mr Anwar's arrest and headed by his wife, Dr Wan Azizah.

The 34-year-old Mr Ezam is widely regarded as one of the most effective of a group of young opposition leaders emerging in defiance of the 20-year rule of Dr Mahathir Mohamed and his United Malays National Organisation. He could be jailed for a maximum of three years and fined 5000 ringgit ($A2500) if convicted of sedition when the case goes to trial in August.

His arrest and the recent laying of 12 other charges against him comes amid signs of growing unease and internal division in UMNO, which suffered a sharp drop in support in general elections in 1999 and was dealt a humiliating defeat in a byelection in Dr Mahathir's home state of Kedah in November.

Several peaceful protests across the country in recent weeks have been violently dispersed by police using tear gas and water cannon. The government-controlled media have been issuing repeated warnings about the dangers of civil unrest and the consequences for those who organise rallies without permits.

Authorities have also retaliated against foreign media and domestic news websites in response to their reporting of Malaysia's political troubles.

Officials have delayed distribution of several recent issues of the main regional news magazines the Far Eastern Economic Review and Asiaweek both of which have been chronicling the political unrest.

Despite Dr Mahathir's repeated pledges not to censor the Internet, a pro-Anwar website was forced to move offshore last week after police seized a computer from the home of its editor.

The independent news website Malaysiakini has also been the target of a campaign of official harassment, including unfounded allegations that it took funding from financier George Soros, long demonised by Dr Mahathir. Malaysiakini's editors were summoned to a cautionary meeting with Information Ministry officials earlier this week, but authorities have not attempted to interfere with site's operations.

The case against Mr Ezam who denies allegations he called for the overthrow of the government in a interview with a Malay magazine appears to have been spurred by government alarm at his recent success in galvanising the often disparate opposition ranks in public protest.

During Tuesday's hearing, the courtroom was crowded with senior police officers and government lawyers who attempted to have bail set at 50,000 ringgit 10 times the maximum fine for sedition. In the end, the magistrate set bail at 5000 ringgit.

Outside the court, thronged by hundreds of cheering supporters, Mr Ezam vowed to continue the campaign of rallies and protest marches in the lead up to April 14 the third anniversary of Mr Anwar's arrest on sex and corruption charges - charges discredited as politically motivated by the United States and other Western governments.

"What happened in the past week shows another episode of the Mahathir regime using all sorts of dirty tricks to smear the image of opposition leaders to create unrest in society," he said. "The issue now is not about demonstrations, the issue now is the credibility of this government. Our campaign will resume immediately."

Meanwhile, police have made further arrests in the aftermath of weekend ethnic riots in Kuala Lumpur that left at least six people dead and dozens injured. Two Malays were arrested for "spreading rumors" about further unrest. About 200 other Malays, Indians and Indonesian migrants have also been detained.