Jailed former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim along with a crowd of more than 3,000 people, including Barisan Alternatif leaders and representatives, attended the funeral of his mother at the Kiara Muslim Cemetery in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon.

Che Yan Abdul Hamid Hussin, 75, fondly known as Mak Yan, died last night at the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UUMC) where she had been warded since Sunday. Her remains were later brought to Anwar's residence in Bukit Damansara.

Today, prison authorities permitted Anwar to attend the funeral and perform the last rite prayers. He was brought to the house in an ambulance at about 1.20pm and met by a crowd of 2,000. However, the former deputy premier was not allowed to attend the prayers held at a nearby mosque.

About an hour later he was driven to the cemetery and arrived at the burial ground under the watchful eyes of some 50 police and prisons department personnel, just minutes before the arrival of the hearse.

Anwar was not allowed to step out of the ambulance until his mother's coffin was placed in the burial ground subsequently more than 10 prisons department personnel formed a barricade to prevent others from approaching him as he alighted.

After the burial ceremony, Anwar, flanked by his father Ibrahim Abdul Rahman and wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, recited the final prayers and sprinkled the grave with flowers and water.

Visibly suffering from physical pain, the grief stricken Anwar was seen clutching the hand of one of his daughters throughout the ceremony.

Tight Security

His wife, Azizah, who is also Keadilan leader, expressed her gratitude to the prisons department for allowing her husband to attend the funeral.

She was also thankful that Anwar had managed to see his mother yesterday before she passed away. Anwar was granted permission by the authorities to visit his mother at the medical centre and was by her side during her final hour.

"I kept telling her that Anwar would be there soon and she managed to see him before she passed away," said Azizah.

However, Azizah expressed her unhappiness about the tight security at the cemetery which according to her could have been avoided.

"After all, he was here for his mother's funeral. The police and the prison authorities could have been more sensitive to the nature of the event," she said.

After the funeral, Anwar was swiftly led back to the ambulance and driven away to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital, where he is being treated for chronic back pain, amidst chants of "Reformasi".

But these cries were quickly drown out by chants of "Allahu akhbar" (God is great), which are common at funerals.

However, the supporters of reformasi movement began shouting "Reformasi" again as Anwar's ambulance drove away from the cemetery.

Anwar, sacked by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in September 1998, is serving a 15-year jail term for abuse of power and sodomy.

His mother, Che Yan, was admitted following chest and kidney pains, and underwent heart treatment.

The mother of nine and grandmother of 37, was the founding member of Umno Wanita in Penang. She was also the former women's wing chief at Umno Bukit Mertajam.