Anwar joins Malaysian opposition le

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  Ê 
      Anwar joins Malaysian opposition leader in visit to
      protestors

      Wed 16 Sep 98 - 13:30 GMT 

      KAJANG, Malaysia, Sept 16 (AFP) - Malaysia's ousted deputy prime
minister Anwar
      Ibrahim joined opposition leader Lim Kit Siang Wednesday in visiting
the site of an
      18-day hunger strike in protest at the jailing of Lim's son.

      Lim Guan Eng, an opposition member of parliament, was recently
sentenced to 18
      months in prison for publishing false news and sedition, an
allegation that has also been
      levelled against Anwar.

      Both father and son belong to the Democratic Action Party (DAP)
which is headed by
      the elder Lim.

      The DAP leader has visited Anwar several times since his dismissal
and subsequent
      expulsion from the ruling party earlier this month.

      Earlier Wednesday the opposition party said it welcomed a weekend
declaration by
      Anwar, describing it as a "basis for a national movement for
justice, freedom,
      democracy and good governance."

      Lim has repeatedly denounced the manner in which Prime Minister
Mahathir Mohamad
      summarily dismissed Anwar. He suggested Wednesday that authorities
were preparing
      for mass arrests under the draconian Internal Security Act which
provides for indefinite
      detention without trial.

      Apart from sedition, Anwar has been accused of sexual impropriety,
bribery,
      jeopardising national security, interfering with police
investigations, tampering with
      evidence and abuse of power.

      Anwar, who has still not been formally charged, denies the
accusations and says he is
      the victim of a high-level conspiracy.

                                                                  ©AFP
1998