Malaysia
Malaysian opposition leader arrested: an act of political desperation
By John Roberts, July 17, 2008
In what is a sign of political desperation on the part of the Malaysian government, police yesterday arrested leading opposition figure Anwar Ibrahim, subjected him to three hours of interrogation, an...
Malaysian opposition leader threatened with spurious new charges
By John Roberts, July 1, 2008
In the midst of the country’s deepening political turmoil, Malaysian police suddenly announced on Saturday that they were investigating charges of sodomy against de facto opposition leader Anwar...
Rising prices hit Malaysia
By Wan Ali, June 17, 2008
As in other Asian countries, price rises are hitting Malaysia, raising concerns in ruling circles over the potential for social discontent and protests. Inflation, particularly for food and fuel, was ...
Malaysia’s ruling coalition rattled after election debacle
By John Roberts, May 13, 2008
The new Malaysian parliament was sworn on April 28 after national elections on March 8, which delivered a major blow to the ruling Barisan National (BN) coalition. Unruly scenes during the country&rsq...
In a highly political decision, Malaysian court frees Anwar Ibriham
By John Roberts, September 15, 2004
In an unexpected ruling on September 2, the Malaysian Federal Court, the nation’s highest judicial body, freed former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim after overturning his conviction on a ch...
Government routs opposition parties in Malaysian elections
By John Roberts, March 29, 2004
The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition led by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi scored its largest-ever electoral win at the national polls in Malaysia on March 21. BN won 198 of the total of 2...
Mahathir’s anti-Semitic comments: fallout from Washington’s “war on terrorism”
By Peter Symonds, October 31, 2003
Just a fortnight before he was due to retire, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad triggered an international furore over anti-Semitic remarks made to the triennial gathering of the Organi...
Malaysian government detains opponents without trial for another two years
By John Roberts, October 3, 2003
In a politically-motivated manoeuvre, Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi last week extended the detention of nine political activists for another two years. They have been he...
Scant media coverage as Malaysia keeps Anwar in jail
By John Roberts, September 4, 2003
On August 19, Malaysia’s Court of Appeal issued a 206-page judgment rejecting a legal appeal by former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim against his conviction in 2000 on charges of sodomy. An...
Malaysia rounds up Acehnese refugees for deportation
By John Roberts, August 26, 2003
In a flagrant attack on democratic rights, Malaysian police last week set up road blocks around the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Kuala Lumpur and detained scores of ...
Signs of a growing antiwar movement in Malaysia
By John Roberts, April 3, 2003
After two weeks of hostilities in Iraq, antiwar protests in Malaysia are growing in size, creating concerns in ruling circles about the potential for political instability.
Workers deported from Malaysia continue to perish in border camps
By Noel Holt, October 10, 2002
More than one month since the Malaysian government suspended its campaign to deport tens of thousands of workers from neighbouring countries, at least 10,000 still languish in shocking conditions in M...
