Friday August 8, 2008

Ministry to explain sodomy charge overseas

PETALING JAYA: The Foreign Ministry will organise a series of information sessions overseas on the sodomy case against PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

“We are preparing the facts,” said minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim.

“This will give the true picture so there will be no misconceptions that can hurt Malaysia’s image.

“Any judgment or directive by a court or the legal department should be upheld; foreign countries should understand the Malaysian legal system and that we do uphold the rule of law,” he told reporters at a press conference after opening the inaugural Malaysian International Law Symposium.

On the statement of former US vice-president Al Gore that the Malaysian government was involved in “character assassination to silence an effective leader of the political opposition,” Dr Rais said Gore should respect the laws of other countries.

“I think he should concentrate on his environmental pursuits instead of interfering. Anyway, he has gore-d us before,” punned Dr Rais, referring to the Apec Business Summit meeting in 1998 where Gore upset ministers when he praised the “brave people of Malaysia” fighting for reform and then walked out of the dinner.

Asked whether the Foreign or Home Ministry would be organising the consultation and preparing the state report for Malaysia’s Universal Periodic Review at the United Nations Human Rights Council next year, he said:

“Various departments are engaged in this exercise. The Home Minister will be annexing certain documents and I believe the Home Ministry will also be producing certain reports to augment the submission.”

Asked about Malaysia’s Olympic athletes who might be thinking of politicising the Tibet issue in China, he replied: “Do the sports, not the politics.”

More News