ANWAR CHARGED UNDER SECTION 377B OF PENAL CODE RELEASED ON BAIL

Anwar has this to say:

"Until last night, the prime minister was still talking about rape. And now, it's consensual," referring to the sodomy charge against him, made under Section 377B of the Penal Code, which refers to a charge of sodomy by consent. In Malaysia, sodomy, regardless of whether it is carried out between consenting adults or otherwise, is a crime.

"If it is consensual, both should be charged," Anwar contended.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Datuk Syed Hamid Albar, at a press conference nearby the court complex, commented that Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, former aide, should not be charged because he was the complainant.