The deteriorating health condition of jailed ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim made it to the front-pages of three Chinese dailies over the past two days.

Yesterday - Sin Chew Daily, Nanyang Siang Pau and the China Press - covered the issue as the main headline in their front - pages.

In an article titled 'Anwar will be paralysed if he does not undergo surgery', Sin Chew quoted Health Minister Dr Chua Soi Lek as blaming the jailed politician for his present dilemma.

On page 10, the daily featured extensive reports on the history of Anwar's slipped disc problem and his present situation, quoting his lawyer Sankara Nair and Free Anwar Campaign director Raja Petra Kamarudin.

Both MCA-controlled newspapers Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press also ran similar headlines on their front-pages.

Another paper Oriental Daily News put the story in page seven.

On the other hand, the health minister's statement was published without the same prominence in the English and Malay newspapers. Berita Harian, however, left it out completely.

Today, Sin Chew Daily again carried the issue on its front-page.

It reported on the statement by Anwar's wife and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail that the family would insist of having the operation overseas, and was prepared to face the risk of delaying the surgery.

Meanwhile, the other Chinese dailies and two English dailies - The Star and the New Straits Times - did not give much prominence to her statement, whereas Berita Harian and Utusan Malaysia failed to publish it at all.

Press conference

None of the newspapers - the Chinese ones included - reported that Chua's press conference at Parliament on Wednesday was hastily arranged, which was forced by Anwar's emergency admission to hospital the previous night.

The ministry has given reporters two-hour notice for the press conference where originally Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was to appear with Chua. However, only Chua was at the press conference.

On late Tuesday night, Anwar was rushed to the hospital after his condition deteriorated . A recent MRI scan revealed that he is suffering from spinal stenosis - narrowing of spaces in the spine resulting in pressure on the spinal cord and nerve roots - resulting in excruciating pain.

This is believed to have worsened his slipped disc condition and affected his kidney and neurological functions.

The ex-deputy premier is currently serving a nine-year jail sentence for sodomy and is awaiting a Federal Court decision next Thursday on his final appeal against the conviction. He has already completed a six-year sentence for corruption.

He claims the charges against him were trumped up but the government has denied it.