Former Deputy Premier Is Welcomed Home

Former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who was ousted in 1998, returned to Malaysia from a trip abroad to a feisty reception by about 1,000 supporters who slipped through a police cordon to greet him at Kuala Lumpur’s airport.

The crowd shouted, “Long Live Anwar!� as he walked slowly from the terminal, holding the hand of his wife, Azizah Ismail.

Anwar left for Germany on Sept. 4 for back surgery, and later went on pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. He served six years in prison on sodomy and corruption charges, which he says were fabricated because of his power struggle with then-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.