Malaysia Anwar Sets Deadline For Permission To Go Abroad

KUALA LUMPUR (AP)--Jailed former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim will sue Malaysia's prisons chief unless he is allowed to travel overseas for medical treatment within a week, his lawyer said Wednesday.

Upping pressure on the government in a long-running battle to be allowed abroad, Anwar made a formal application to the prisons department to begin preparations for him to go to a clinic in Germany for treatment on a slipped disc and threatening legal action if it doesn't comply swiftly.

In a letter to Malaysia's Director-General of Prisons Omar Muhammad Dan, Anwar's lawyer Sankara Nair said the official was "on notice" to act within seven days. The letter was dated April 12.

If there is no response, Anwar will ask the High Court to order Omar to arrange the trip and may sue the official for damages if the former deputy prime minister's health worsens.

Doctors say Anwar needs surgery on his back and risks permanent disability unless he gets it soon. But Anwar and the government are in dispute about the type of surgery and where it can occur.

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has said a ban on Anwar going overseas for treatment is final, ignoring pleas from his former protege's family, the opposition and Malaysia's government-appointed human rights commission which says Anwar has the right to choose his mode of treatment.

Anwar, who says the injury was caused in part by a 1998 police beating, wants endoscopic surgery and has lined up specialist surgeon Dr. Thomas Hoogland of the Alpha Klinik in Munich.

The government says Anwar should accept less specialized surgery performed locally, or bring Hoogland to Malaysia. Hoogland says he can't operate in Malaysia,

The opposition has accused the government of being vindictive against Anwar.

In his letter, Sankara said Anwar's condition was worsening, and that his hands had swelled as a side effect of pain relieving drugs.

Anwar's "misery cannot and should not be allowed to perpetuate," Sankara's letter said. "He ought not be made to suffer or be punished for merely demanding his legal and moral right to his choice of doctor and mode of treatment."

Omar was duty bound to arrange Anwar's trip, "without any other considerations including political considerations."

A prison official wasn't immediately available to comment.

After grooming Anwar as his successor, Mahathir fired his deputy in 1998 amid disputes over how the government should handle the Asian economic crisis. Anwar was later convicted of s###my and corruption and is serving 15 years in prison. He claims the charges were designed to quash his threat to Mahathir. The government denies a conspiracy.