April 15, 1999
Web posted at: 4:28 a.m. EDT (0828 GMT)

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (Reuters) - Malaysian police wielding bamboo sticks broke up an anti-government protest by supporters of jailed former finance minister Ibrahim in the capital on Thursday and detained several demonstrators.

Several dozen helmeted riot police with shields and batons and plainclothes police with sticks dispersed a crowd of about 150 protesters, mostly students, after they had lit a bonfire on a street and shouted anti-government slogans.

Several plainclothes policemen grabbed one of the protesters and beat him with bamboo sticks. Several others were dragged away and detained.

A water cannon truck and more than 100 riot police inside trucks were stationed near the site of the protest at the Central Market shopping center.

Earlier, the protesters had played cat and mouse with police near the courthouse where Anwar was sentenced on Wednesday to six years in jail for corruption.

The conviction triggered violent demonstrations on Wednesday in a section of Kuala Lumpur which security forces put down with water cannon and baton charges.

Anwar was convicted on four counts of corruption and sentenced to four six-year jail terms to run concurrently.

Numerous foreign governments criticized the verdict and expressed concern over the trial which began in November, two months after Anwar was sacked as deputy prime minister.

His jailing prevents him participating in politics for five years after his release.

Authorities in Malaysia feared the court decision could result in widespread demonstrations. In the wake of Anwar's sacking tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets.

During the trial, which ran for 78 days, the court heard from 23 prosecution witnesses and 22 from the defense. The state argued that Anwar was a corrupt adulterer. A mattress said to contain Anwar's seminal fluids was dragged into the courtroom and key witnesses testified he had sex with women and men; his former driver said he was Anwar's "sex slave."

The defense argued that Anwar was a devout Muslim, innocent of all charges and the victim of a political conspiracy to eliminate his challenge to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's 18-year leadership.

Family waves good-bye

Thursday saw Anwar driven to jail for the first full day of his term at Sungai Buloh. He left behind his wife Azizah Ismail and six children.

Anwar was stoic Azizah told Reuters Television in an interview on Thursday in her suburban home.

"'Be strong. They can imprison me physically, but they can't imprison my spirit,"' she quoted him as telling her before he climbed into the police van.

"'Don't be sad. Don't despair. We have a cause to champion, and this is long. We have to be strong and continue."'

Azizah said: "Before he went into the van, I told him, 'I will take care of the children."'

"The family took it rather hard, they were very upset," Azizah, an ophthalmologist, said.

In sentencing Anwar, High Court Judge Augustine Paul stipulated that his jail term would start immediately and the seven months he had spent in detention would not count towards the six years.

Under prison regulations, Anwar will be allowed one visit by his family a month. He will not be able to touch them.

"The children feel the injustice, a feeling already, of course, during these seven months that they've lost their father," Azizah said.

"But more so now that the seven months are not counted."

Azizah has vowed to unite opposition parties against Mahathir.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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