PUTRAJAYA - MALAYSIA'S opposition Parti Keadilan Raykat has moved its de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to the Turkish embassy in Kuala Lumpur after he had received death threats.

Mr Anwar said death threats had been made against him and that since Sunday he has taken refuge at the Turkish embassy in Kuala Lumpur on the invitation of the ambassador.

'I have been told that my assassination has not been ruled out as means to subvert the people's will and bring an end to the transformational changes taking place in Malaysia,' Mr Anwar said in a statement.

The threats come on the back of new sodomy allegations against Mr Anwar.

Mr Anwar was was sacked by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad over similar allegations in 1998.

Federal CID director Comm Datuk Mohd Bakri Zinin said the police would conduct a thorough and fair investigation in the sodomy allegations.

They will also investigate the allegations before taking a statement from Mr Anwar, he said.

Earlier on Sunday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi reiterated that the Barisan Nasional Government was not behind the latest allegation of sodomy against Mr Anwar.

Stating that he was shocked on hearing the police report lodged by an aide of Mr Anwar on Saturday night, Mr Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said he would leave the police to conduct investigations on the allegations and to take the necessary action.

He said he or the Government did not instruct the police to take any action. On Mr Anwar's statement that the allegations were a complete fabrication to kill his political career, as in 1998 when he was sacked as Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Abdullah said the Government had nothing to do with the police report.

'We are not involved. Umno and Barisan Nasional did not plan to trouble, disturb or accuse him.

'I believe even my friends like Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib (Tun Razak) did not have any intention to do such a thing to him,' he told reporters here on Sunday after launching the Bumi Hijau programme.

Mr Abdullah said the alleged victim has the right to lodge a police report if it had really happened.

When asked if Mr Anwar would be arrested following the latest allegation, Mr Abdullah said he did not want to speculate on the matter and would leave the matter to the police.

Meanwhile the aide, who had started working at PKR about three months ago to help in the 12th general election, had lodged a police report alleging sodomy by the PKR leader at about 5.45pm on Saturday.

The man, in his 20s, is being treated at a hospital in Kuala Lumpur.

Mr Anwar called for an urgent press conference at 1.20am Sunday morning to deny the allegations.

In a statement read out by PKR vice-president Sivarasa Rasiah at a hotel in Shah Alam, he described the allegations as 'total fabrication'.

The statement, which was also faxed to media offices, said: 'The police report lodged against me today is a complete fabrication. I believe we are witnessing a repeat of the methods used against me in 1998 when false allegations were made under duress.'

Sources said police were waiting for the medical report from the hospital before proceeding with investigations.

They also said Mr Anwar was expected to be called up by the police to have his statement recorded.

DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang posted in his blog early on Sunday morning that he had spoken to Mr Anwar over the phone and 'he is expecting the worst.'

Mr Anwar and his adopted brother Mr Sukma Darmawan Sasmitaat Madja were found guilty by the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Aug 8, 2000 on the charge of sodomising Anwar's former family driver, Mr Azizan Abu Bakar, at Mr Sukma's apartment in Tivoli Villa, Bangsar, between January and March 1993.

Mr Anwar was sentenced to nine years' jail while Mr Sukma received six years and ordered to be given four strokes of the rotan. Mr Sukma was also convicted by the High Court on a charge of abetting Mr Anwar in the commission of the offence.

In 2003, the Court of Appeal dismissed their appeals.

Mr Anwar was first convicted for corruption on April 14, 1999 and was jailed for six years. He should have been released on April 14, 2003 after a one-third remission but had to start serving his sentence for the sodomy offence, which the court ordered to be served consecutively.

Mr Anwar was freed in 2004 after the Federal Court acquitted him of the charge of sodomising his former family driver. -- The Star/ANN, AFP