(September 21, 1998) Anwar was arrested from his home on the evening of September 20 by police armed with assault rifles and tear gas after some 35,000 supporters marched to Prime Minister Mahathir's house demanding his resignation. Also arrested following the demonstration were ruling United Malays National Organization (UMNO) youth chief Zahid Hamidi, Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (Abim) President Ahmad Azam Abdul Rahman, his deputy, Mukhtar Redhuan, Secretary-General Shaharuddin Badaruddin, Deputy National President Abdul Halim Ismail, and Roslan Kassim, an UMNO youth leader from a northern state who was in Anwar's house during a press conference.
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Anwar Ibrahim's adopted brother, Sukma Darmawan, was arrested on September 6. Police reportedly confirmed his arrest, but the grounds on which he was detained were not made public at that time. Since then the press has contained allegations of his involvement in acts of sodomy with Anwar; sodomy is illegal under Malaysian law. Darmawan, a businessman, is also mentioned in the book, 50 Dalil Kenapa Anwar Tidak Boleh Jadi PM. Similar charges have been made against Munawar Anees, a Pakistani national with permanent resident status in Malaysia and the US who was was detained under the ISA on September 14; Munawar was the editor of the now defunct Periodica Islamica, an English language quarterly which was published by Berita Publishing of the New Straits Times Group; he had reportedly written speeches for Anwar. A former Finance Ministry official was reportedly arrested later the same day, under Section 117 of the Penal Code which allows police to detain persons during investigations. On September 15, authorities detained Mohamed Azmin Ali, Anwar Ibrahim's former private secretary, also under section 117. Anwar has charged that authorities warned Mohamed's family members not to tell anyone of his arrest, not even his lawyers.
Earlier, in August, police arrested a businessman friend of Anwar's, S. Nallakaruppan, under the ISA for unlawful possession of ammunition. Affidavits filed at the High Court by the Attorney General and an officer of the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) alleged that when police searched the home of S. Nallakaruppan in July while investigating the accusations made in the book, they found, besides the ammunition, sensitive letters and classified documents belonging to Anwar. The affidavits accused Nallakaruppan arranging some of Anwar's sexual liaisons and suggested that because he traveled abroad with Anwar, he may have been in the position to leak official secrets. Nallakaruppan has vehemently denied the charges and filed a complaint alleging harassment and mistreatment in police detention and requesting transfer to another facility.
The Malaysian human rights organization, Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM), has called for the release of persons detained under the ISA. "The entitlement to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial court is a basic right that belongs to everyone. The ISA is an explicit denunciation of that right," a SUARAM statement read.
