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Malaysia tells U.S. to mind its own business

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has told the United States to stop meddling in its affairs after the State Department criticised the Southeast Asian nation's human rights record and its treatment of jailed former finance minister Anwar Ibrahim.

"They should stay out of other countries' internal affairs and stop passing judgment on others," the Sun newspaper on Sunday quoted Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Rais Yatim as saying.

Rais was reacting to the U.S. State Department's annual human rights report which cited "serious problems" in Malaysia's record.

The 39-page report, part of a global review released on Friday, said Anwar had been charged for political reasons and denied a fair opportunity to defend himself, and it accused police and prosecutors of "improper conduct".

Anwar was sacked in 1998 and sentenced last April to six years in jail for corruption. He is currently standing trial on one count of sodomy which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in jail.

Anwar says he is the victim of a plot by political opponents including Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad to prevent him from ever attaining power and exposing corruption and cronyism.

The State Department report said in Malaysia there were extrajudicial killings, police torture, detention without trial, politically motivated prosecution by the attorney-general and doubts about the impartiality of the judiciary.

The Malaysian minister said Washington should mind its own business.

"They should instead look at their own back yard first as the number of human rights violations in the U.S. itself is horrendous," Rais said.

"The rampant human rights violations taking place in the Bronx area, for example, were never told to the world," he said. "So before meddling in other people's affairs, they should look into theirs first."

Anwar's sacking and arrest have put strains on U.S.-Malaysian ties. Malaysia denounced U.S. Vice President Al Gore in November 1998 when he publicly supported the "reformasi" (reform) movement seeking an end to Mahathir's 19-year rule.

Former U.S. ambassador to Malaysia John Malott last year called Anwar the world's most prominent political prisoner.-Reuters