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KUALA LUMPUR (AFP)--Malaysia has summoned Germany's ambassador
after the embassy reportedly funded an opposition-leaning human rights
organization that has accused the government of corruption.
The group,
Suaram, launched a complaint in a French court earlier this year accusing Prime
Minister Najib Razak and others over a 2002 deal to buy two submarines from
France.
"The action of the German embassy can be misconstrued and be
seen as interference in the domestic affairs of a sovereign state," the Foreign
Ministry said in a statement late Thursday.
"Malaysia is deeply
disappointed to learn that the embassy is engaged in such activities that show
its partiality to certain issues that have implications on Malaysia's domestic
situation."
The embassy declined to make an immediate comment Friday.
But German Ambassador Guenter Gruber was quoted by the national news agency
Bernama earlier this week as saying that the funding was for a one-off project
in 2010.
Suaram, whose accounts are being investigated by authorities,
has accused the government of harassment after it alleged corruption during the
purchase of the two Scorpene submarines while Mr. Najib was defense minister.
"This ongoing political intimidation and harassment against Suaram is
proof that the government is determined to silent critical voices," Suaram said
in a statement on Wednesday.
Mr. Najib, who must face elections by the
middle of next year, has been touting a reform agenda, including scrapping a
strict security law that allowed for indefinite detention without trial.
But critics have dismissed his reforms as an insincere ploy to win back
support after the 2008 elections, when the Barisan Nasional coalition lost its
customary two-thirds parliamentary majority in its worst showing ever.
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