| |
| 1987 |
| |
| The United Malays National Organization (UMNO) continued as the dominant party, but a no-holds-barred political battle was reflected in detentions for “security reasons” and in the passage of laws to repress the free press. The Chinese school issue and the rally of the UMNO served to inflame ethnic tensions. | 1 |
| |
| 1989, Dec. 2 |
| |
| The Communist Party of Malaysia (CPM), a predominantly ethnic Chinese revolutionary organization, formally ended its 41-year armed struggle to overthrow the government (initially the British colonial authority). | 2 |
| |
| 1994, Feb. 25 |
| |
| Malaysia announced trade sanctions against Great Britain because of reports of bribery and corruption in Britain involving trade with Malaysia. | 3 |
| |
| 1998, Sept. 20 |
| |
| After dismissing popular deputy prime minister and finance minister Anwar bin Ibrahim on Sept. 2, Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad had Anwar arrested and later convicted of corruption. Anwar received a further conviction of sodomy on Aug. 8, 2000, establishing his total prison sentence at 15 years. Anwar's trumped-up trial brought international condemnation and domestic unrest. It was the longest trial in Malaysian history. Anwar alleged that his firing and subsequent charges stemmed from a disagreement between the two leaders concerning measures to repair the ailing economy. | 4 |
| |
| Nov. 14–18 |
| |
| Malaysia hosted a 21-nation meeting of APEC (the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation). At this conference, U.S. vice president Al Gore strongly criticized Mahathir in a speech, pointing out human rights violations and the unfair trial of Anwar. | 5 |
| |
| |
