KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 23 (Reuters) - About 1,000 people on Wednesday shouted ``Reformasi'' (Reform) when the wife of arrested Malaysian protest leader Anwar Ibrahim left a Kuala Lumpur courthouse, witnesses said.

The crowd applauded and shouted ``Reformasi'' (reform) when Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, left the building after spending several hours in the court in the centre of the capital, a Reuters correspondent said.

There was no immediate explanation of why Wan Azizah went to the court. The official Bernama news agency said that after leaving the courthouse, Wan Azizah went to Kuala Lumpur police headquarters to give a statement in an investigation into her activities.

There were about two dozen uniformed police at the courthouse when Wan Azizah left the building to cheers. The police, which on Monday had fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse a protest at the same courthouse, made no move this time to break up the crowd.

Anwar was arrested last Sunday at his suburban home after leading protests against Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's 17-year rule. He has not been seen in public since.

When Wan Azizah was in the courthouse there was speculation that her husband's court appearance might be imminent. But lawyers for Anwar and his wife all said the sacked finance minister, who has not been indicted, did not appear.