Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has come in for some sharp criticism from abroad since firing and jailing his deputy, Anwar Ibrahim -- who later showed up in court battered and bruised. The State Department, the Australian Foreign Ministry, the U.N. secretary general, the World Bank president and human rights groups such as Amnesty International have all expressed concern.

In a major reversal of their policy of not commenting openly on the internal affairs of neighboring states, some Southeast Asian leaders, politicians, student groups and a newly unshackled press have been among the loudest voices of concern and protest over Mahathir's treatment of Anwar.

The public expressions of concern reflect the high international standing of Anwar, who was finance minister as well as deputy prime minister and was regarded around the region as an example of the "new breed" of Asian leader. Anwar had forged links with like-minded intellectuals and Muslim groups and had become an articulate voice for more democratization and a rejection of the "Asian values" associated with paternalistic, authoritarian rule.