Malaysian activists against Rice

The president of the fundamentalist Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, the country's biggest opposition group, accused the U.S. of being "completely in accord with the brutal Zionist regime despite claiming to be a champion of human rights."

Photo: Malaysian activists against Rice

Malaysian activists against Rice

The party said it will stage a demonstration outside the U.S. Embassy on Friday to protest Rice's scheduled attendance at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' Regional Forum in Kuala Lumpur later this week.

Separately, the Anti-War Coalition of Malaysia, comprising nongovernment organizations and political parties, said it would also hold a protest Thursday near the venue of the ARF meeting, the AP reports.

The Islamic Party and another opposition group, the People's Justice Party, have both sent protest notes to Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar over Rice's visit, party officials said.

Rice is expected to join foreign ministers from more than 20 Asia-Pacific countries Thursday for annual talks that come on the heels of a meeting among ASEAN ministers earlier this week.