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'Anwar's anniversary march may spark riot'

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Sunday a planned opposition march on April 15 to mark the first anniversary of the jailing of former finance minister Anwar Ibrahim could spark a riot.

"I heard Keadilan is going to hold demonstrations on April 15 aimed at commemorating something and they are prepared to assault the police, carry weapons and wood," the state-run Bernama news agency quoted him as telling reporters.

"They even want to make Molotov cocktails and all sorts of things," he said.

The march is being organised by the opposition Parti Keadilan Nasional, led by Anwar's wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

Mahathir urged the public to shun the rally but he did not say if the police would ban it.

Opposition officials were not immediately available for comment but a Keadilan leader said last week up to 20,000 people could join the march to the king's palace in the capital.

"This is an unprecedented event and we hope thousands of people will turn up," said Ezam Nor, head of the Keadilan youth wing.

Ezam said the opposition would present a memorandum to the king, Sultan Salahuddin Aziz. The opposition believed some members of the royal family were sympathetic to its cause, he said.

Malaysia's king is nominally head of state but his powers are largely ceremonial.

Anwar has been in jail since last April 14 last year after he was found guilty of corruptly influencing police to cover up allegations of sexual misconduct brought by his former driver and a woman.

He has been on trial since June on a charge of sodomising the driver.

Anwar denies all the charges and says he was framed.

Riot police broke up a similar march last year with water cannon and tear gas. Several people were later arrested for rioting.-Reuters