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KUALA LUMPUR: Thousands of Malaysians took to the capital’s streets on Saturday to protest rising living costs and a perceived lack of reform by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government.

The rally organized by opposition parties marked the first major protest in Southeast Asia’s sixth-largest economy since Anwar was propelled to power after general elections in 2022.

Protesters gathered at various points around the city center before converging on the city’s central Merdeka (Independence) Square, carrying placards saying “Turun Anwar” – “Step down Anwar” in Malay – while police kept a close eye.

“He (Anwar) has already governed the country for three years and has yet to fulfil the promises he made,” said protester Fauzi Mahmud, 35, from Selangor just outside the capital.

Anwar “has been to many countries to bring investments, but we have yet to see anything,” Fauzi told AFP, referring to the premier’s recent trips, including to Russia and Europe.

“The cost of living is still high,” the engineer said.

Anwar was appointed premier on a reformist ticket and promised to tackle graft, nepotism and cronyism within the Southeast Asian nation’s fractured political system.

Days ahead of the rally, the premier laid out a string of populist measures aimed to address concerns, including a cash handout for all adult citizens and a promise to cut fuel prices.

Anwar on Wednesday announced that Malaysians above 18 years will receive a one-off payment of 100 Malaysian ringgit ($23.71), to be distributed from August 31.

He added that about 18 million Malaysian motorists will be eligible to purchase heavily subsidized medium-octane fuel at 1.99 ringgit per liter, compared to the current price of 2.05 ringgit.

Political analysts viewed the announcements as a strategic move to appease increasing public frustration and dissuade people from joining Saturday’s protest.

However, a recent survey done by Malaysia-based independent Merdeka Center for Opinion Research found that the majority of Malaysian voters gave Anwar a positive approval rating of 55 percent.

Reasons included the easing of political turmoil in recent years as well as efforts to raise Malaysia’s profile through this year’s chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

NEW DELHI: Police in India have arrested a man accused of running a fake embassy from a rented house near New Delhi and duping job seekers out of money with promises of overseas employment.

Harsh Vardhan Jain, 47, was operating an “illegal West Arctic embassy by renting a house” in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, which neigbhours the capital, local police said.

Jain, according to police, claimed to be the ambassador of fictional nations “like West Arctica, Saborga, Poulvia, Lodonia.”

He allegedly used vehicles with fake diplomatic plates and shared doctored photos of himself with Indian leaders to bolster his claims.

“His main activities involved acting as a broker to secure work in foreign countries for companies and private individuals, as well as operating a hawala (money transfer) racket through shell companies,” the police said in a statement following his arrest earlier this week.

He is also accused of money laundering.

During a raid on Jain’s property, police said they recovered $53,500 in cash in addition to doctored passports and forged documents bearing stamps of India’s foreign ministry.

AFP was unable to reach Jain or his representatives for comment.

Westarctica, cited by the police as one of the countries Jain claimed to be representing, is a US-registered nonprofit “dedicated to studying and preserving this vast, magnificent, desolate region” of Western Antarctica.

In a statement, it said it had appointed Jain as its “Honorary Consul to India” after he had made a “generous donation.”

“He was never granted the position or authority of ambassador,” it added.