Anwar bail request delayed

An application for bail by the former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, has been postponed after his defence lawyer fell ill.

Mr Anwar wants to travel abroad for treatment for back injuries, which he says he suffered when he was beaten up after his arrest five years ago.

He appeared in court in a wheelchair and wearing a neck brace, as police helicopters hovered and riot police stood ready while a crowd of his supporters chanted for his release.

Anwar: Incorrigible optimist

The court will now hear the application by Mr Anwar, who is serving five years' imprisonment for sodomy, next week.

One of the counsel representing Mr Anwar, Sankara Nair, said his client did not expect a positive outcome.

"He believes it will be a political rather than a judicial decision," he told the BBC.

Health treatment

The image of Anwar Ibrahim's black eye inflicted by the man who was then the country's chief police officer is one of the most potent in modern Malaysia.

But the former deputy prime minister says he also suffered serious back injuries in the same attack that followed his arrest in 1998.

His lawyer says proper treatment is not available in Malaysia and that Mr Anwar needs specialist care in Germany.

Mr Anwar was once considered the natural successor to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who is due to step down in October after 22 years in power.

Mr Anwar's release at this stage would transform the political landscape just when the government is hoping for a smooth period of transition, says the BBC's Jonathan Kent.

But the jailed politician's supporters remain optimistic.

They say the government seems to be softening its stand towards the man who has become the opposition's most effective weapon.

Dr Mahathir said last month that if his successors so decide, Mr Anwar could return to his governing party.