MY EXPRESSION : ISA = A WEAK GOVERNMENT???
ISA dragnet widens: MP Teresa Kok too
Sept 12, 08 11:58pm
It is learnt that the Selangor senior executive councillor and Seputeh parliamentarian was stopped by the police at about 11.18pm on her way back from a function in Kuala Lumpur.
She was arrested after her vehicle was blocked by three police patrol cars.
Deputy inspector-general of police Ismail Omar said that Kok's arrest was made under Section 73(1) of the Act.
In Penang, chief minister and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said the party would be holding an emergency meeting tomorrow to discuss the matter.
Earlier today, Malaysia Today editor Raja Petra Kamaruddin and Sin Chew Daily journalist Tan Hoon Cheng ( ISA arrest No 2: Sin Chew journalist held, read here) were also arrested under the Act. - Malaysiakini.................................................
ISA arrest No 2: Sin Chew journalist held
Sin Chew Daily journalist Tan Hoon Cheng has been arrested today
under the Internal Security Act at 8.30pm at her home in Bukit
Mertajam, Penang.
Tan (left), 33, is the second person after Malaysia Today editor Raja
Petra Kamarudin, to be arrested under the tough security law which
allows for detention without trial.
She was taken by the police to the Penang police headquarters, where
a crowd of 100 supporters have gathered to express their concern.
Tan was the first journalist who reported that local Umno chieftain
Ahmad Ismail had allegedly said that Chinese Malaysians are
¡°squatters¡± in the country.
Deputy inspectorp-general of police Ismail Omar has confirmed her
arrest under ISA.
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s political secretary Ng Wei Aik
was at the police headquarters to obtain more information on Tan’s
arrest.
“Penang police chief Ayub Yaakob has just confirmed the arrest of the
journalist under section 73(1) of ISA to the chief minister,” he told
reporters gathered at the Penang police headquarters at about 10.45pm.
Under section 73(1), the police can detain Tan for a maximum of 60
days for investigations. Based on the outcome of the probe, she can
be detained for two years without trial, and the two-year term can be
renewed indefinitely.
Gerakan secretary-general Chia Kwang Chye, who was among those who
visited the state police headquarters, slammed Tan’s arrest and
called on the police to complete their investigation as soon as
possible so that she could be released.
Tan was arrested by a team from federal police headquarters in Bukit
Aman, Kuala Lumpur.
Government ticked off for double standards
Meanwhile in an immediate reaction, MCA Youth legal bureau Gan Ping
Sieu also condemned the use of ISA against Tan.
“The journalist concerned should be called for questioning and not be
arrested,” he said.
He criticised the government for its double standards, adding that
the arrest was a setback for democracy.
He added that the MCA Youth legal bureau was prepared to set up a
team of lawyers to provide legal assistance to Tan.
Tan’s report on Ahmad late last month had sparked a nationwide
outcry, resulting in Ahmad being suspended by Umno for three years
after an emergency meeting on Wednesday.
Three days ago, Sin Chew came out strongly to defend Tan, who was
accused by Ahmad for misreporting his comments.
Tan, who holds a mass communications degree from Universiti Sains
Malaysia, has been a journalist for nine years.
She has been with Sin Chew for four years. Before joining Sin Chew,
she was a journalist in Kwong Wah daily.
It is unclear whether Ahmad, who remained defiant despite being
slapped with the suspension, has also been detained.
PAS leader Mujahid Yusuf Rawa, who was also at the police station,
did not mince his words in arguing that Ahmad should be the one
detained underISA and “not the journalist who reported what he had
said”.
.................................................
The arrest comes a day after the government lifted blocks on all websites, including Raja Petra’s popular Malaysia Today website.
Three newspapers were also issued show cause letters. They are Suara Keadilan, The Sun and Sin Chew Daily.
Yesterday Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor has announced that government is no longer blocking the access to any websites or blogs in the country. He told reporters here that the decision was reached at the weekly cabinet meeting.
Shaziman said that following the decision, the order to restrict access to websites or blogs, including the “Malaysia Today” news portal, has been withdrawn, effective immediately.
Earlier Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said action under the Internal Security Act (ISA) can be taken against “Malaysia-Today” blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin for his comments on the blog which allegedly insulted Islam and Prophet Muhammad.
He said if the investigation which was being conducted based on police reports made by four religious agencies found that he committed the offence, Raja Petra would face the action.
Syed Hamid was commenting on the police reports lodged by the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim), Yayasan Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia (Yadim), Federal Territory Islamic Religious Council (Maiwp) and Federal Territory Religious Department (Jawi) against Raja Petra.
They complained that in his comment on an article entitled “I Promise to be a good, non-hypocritical Muslim“, Raja Petra allegedly used sentences which insulted Muslims.
He is also alleged to have allowed comments which degraded Islam and Prophet Muhammad for an article entitled “Not all Arabs are descendants of the Prophet” to be published in the blog.
“The action taken by the religious agencies is in line with the law because his (Raja Petra) actions to use obscene and bad words for Prophet Muhammad is clearly in contradiction of the law.
“The probe and action should be expedited so that he will realise his mistakes and learn to respect Islam,” Syed Hamid said.
Although Raja Petra claimed that he was not the blog’s owner, Syed Hamid said Raja Petra had to be responsible for the contents published as he had always made himself appear as the sole representative for the blog.
MY EXPRESSION : ISA = A WEAK GOVERNMENT???
No comments:
Post a Comment