Dear webmasters,

Enclosed, please find the media statement by Mr. Sankara Nair, DSAI's lawyer. However, I am not able to include DSAI's undertaking letter attached to this statement.

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Media Statement

We act for Dato Seri Anwar Bin Ibrahim and we have been instructed by our Client to respond to Dato' Syed Hamid Albar, the Foreign Minister's statement to the media on the 26th of March 2001 and widely reported in the mainstream print-media.

We wish to reiterate that our Client had never and at no point agree with the government's conditions as stated by Dato' Syed Hamid. Indeed, DSAI and we are shocked and amazed with the Minister's statement wherein he appears to be grossly misinformed. Indeed the Minister's statement is grossly misleading and misconceived, if he was rightly quoted. Evidence of our assertion is as per the amended conditions that was signed by our Client on 5th March 2001, a copy of which is faxed herewith which is self-explanatory.

We confirm receiving a formal letter of rejection from the Director of Sungai Buloh Prison dated 23rd March 2001 and we therewith duly sought further instructions from DSAI at HKL today. Our instructions are as stated above and the following;

That we write to Dr Hoogland informing him of the government's decision and the further offer of assistance in terms of personnel and equipment as stated in the said letter of 23rd March 2001and await his response.

That we write to the Foreign Minister and seek clarification and to send him a copy of the said mutually agreed amended conditions that was signed by our Client when requesting Dr Hoogland to examine him in HKL. We wish to reiterate that it was upon these amended conditions that the government agreed to allow Dr Hoogland to attend to our client on 10th March 2001. Indeed, the HKL senior physician, Dr Jayaindran also informed us that the Minister of Health Dato' Chua Jui Meng has agreed to the said amended conditions and as such there would be no objections to Dr Hoogland's visit to HKL on 10th March 2001. As such it was upon such conditions that Dr Hoogland visited and examined our Client in HKL.

Sankara N Nair
S.N NAIR & PARTNERS Solicitors for Dato Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim
Dated: 27 March 2001