Thursday, September 04, 2014

Journalist Susan Loone - arrested when she turned up voluntarily for questioning?

Why was Susan arrested? She went to the police station for questioning - and, reasonably there was no reason to arrest a person who was cooperating with police investigations... 

According to the Malaysiakini report, she has been there for 5 hours (arrived at 3pm, still there at 8pm)...

If one is arrested, then one is a 'suspect' - no more just a witness, and in such a case, there is no requirement to answer any questions the police has... If the police questions you, you can tell the police that you will not be answering any questions, and anything I have to say, I will say in court....[But, if you have been called as a witness, you have the obligation to answer questions truthfully...]

Like lawyers, who cannot be forced to divulge to anyone communications that he has has had with a client, Journalist too may have a duty, or do they?

SEDITION - is so wide, have a look at the earlier postings on this to get a better understanding..

SEDITION ACT - an draconian legislation that has no place in a true democracy?


11:00AM Sep 4, 2014

Mkini journalist arrested for sedition

Malaysiakini journalist Susan Loone has been arrested under the Sedition Act over her interview with Penang executive councillor Phee Boon Poh.
She was expected to be released on police bail around 8pm today but her release has been delayed due to further questioning.

Her mobile phone has also been confiscated by police.

Loone arrived for questioning at the Northeast Disrict police headquarters at 3pm.

OCPD Asst Comm Mior Faridalathrash Wahid has confirmed that Loone was arrested.

According to Loone, police took her fingerprints and asked her to sign a document putting her under arrest.

"But I am allowed to leave on police bail with a surety," she said.

Loone and the online news portal are being investigated under Section 4(1)(c) of the 1948 Sedition Act for publishing an interview she did with Phee, which is deemed seditious, when he was in police custody early on Monday, on his role in the state's Voluntary Patrol Unit (PPS).

Loone said that she was contacted by one ASP Jamal to give her statement at 11.30 last night.

Phee (right), the Sungai Puyu assemblyperson, told Malaysiakini that he too would be questioned by police today.
The police action comes in wake of 10 reports lodged on Tuesday on the news report by Perkasa and 13 others who call themselves ‘The Coalition of Penang Malay Representatives’.

The group, led by Penang Perkasa Youth chief Mohd Rizuad Azudin, called on the police to investigate and initiate legal action against Loone and Malaysiakini for defaming the force in the article headlined “Disoal siasat selama 4 jam, dakwa dilayan seperti 'penjenayah'” ('Questioned for four hours, treated like 'criminal'), published on Monday.

The article is the Bahasa Malaysia translation of Loone's article in English, headlined 'Exco man grilled for four hours, treated like 'criminal',' which was also published on the same day.

'I was only doing my job'
The article is based on an interview Loone conducted with Phee about 1.30am on Monday while he was at the Jalan Patani police station.

"I was only doing my job as a journalist. I called Phee and he responded to my call.

"I asked him a few questions about his experience at the police station, and he gave me his answers.

"I wrote what he said, there was nothing more to that," said Loone before going to the police station.

In the article, Phee relates his experiences during interrogation, adding that the police treated him well, and that they were "victims of circumstances", like himself.
Phee, 62, was detained for 24 hours on Sunday. He is chairperson of PPS, which has been declared illegal by the police as it is not registered with the Registrar of Societies.

He and 155 PPS members were arrested after taking part in the Merdeka Parade at the Esplanade on Sunday, and were released on police bail on Monday.

They are being investigated under Section 43 of the 1966 Societies Act for being involved in illegal activities, including secret societies.- Malaysiakini, 4/9/2014,
Mkini journalist arrested for sedition
 
 
 
 
 
 
What is the article that got Susan into trouble? I am not certain whether the arrest and questioning is concerning this article or something else. Well, have a look at it below and ask whether what she did was wrong. Well, police can always investigate - detain and question suspects...or witnesses - they also can not arrest a person but just require a person to come to the police station at a particular data and time for questioning, which I am sure Susan would have complied with such a request....
 
 :21AM Sep 1, 2014

Exco man grilled for four hours, treated like 'criminal'

Phee Boon Poh, the chairperson of the Penang Voluntary Patrol Unit (PPS) who was arrested yesterday, claimed that he was interrogated by the police for four hours and was treated like a “criminal”.

"They asked me all sorts of questions, snapped my photographs and took my fingerprints, just as they would do to a criminal," Phee said in a telephone interview with Malaysiakini about 1.30am.

The state executive councillor, who is in charge of PPS, was arrested at the Northeast District police headquarters on Jalan Patani about 4.30pm yesterday, after his statement was recorded.

He was one of the 156 people detained by police after they took part in tbhe state Merdeka Parade march at the Esplanade yesterday.

"I do not blame the police, they were very nice to me. They are victims of circumstances," said Phee.

"But so am I - I am also a victim of circumstances," add the exco member, who holds the caring society and environment portfolio.

So far, seven women and 13 PPS members above 60 years were released this morning, while last night, three were sent to the hospital after they complained of being unwell.

Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar last Tuesday declared PPS an illegal organisation as it was not registered with the Registrar of Societies (ROS).

Khalid warned he would arrest PPS members who continue with their voluntary activities, which includes urgent response to disasters and community service.

IGP: PPS members are gangsters

The police chief also dismissed the 9,000 members of PPS as "gangsters", which Phee had vehemently denied, saying that the unit is a state government agency.

Phee spent the night with other PPS members in the police lock-up, some sleeping on the floor as there were not enough beds available.

"At least, my men know that I have not abandoned them and that if they have to spend the night in a lock-up, so would I," said the 62-year-old politician with a distinctive crop of snow-white hair.

Phee did not get to see his wife and daughters who were waiting outside the gate of the police headquarters.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who was with Phee when he was arrested at 4.30pm yesterday, met Phee's family around midnight and advised them to "go home and rest".

Lim, who also gave his statement to the police, remained with Phee at the state police headquarters until after midnight.

Phee, who is Sungai Puyu assemblyperson, said his family was shocked by the arrest.

"They did not expect this to happen to me. But what to do, this is the price I have to pay for working hard to ensure all my programmes for the people are successful."

‘Gangsters in uniform’

He hinted that the mass arrest yesterday was part of a plot to rid Penang of PPS.

"I am not worried for myself, but for what would happen to the PPS team," he said.

Phee claimed that police had earlier informed him that he could be remanded for up to three days. He was also told that he was being investigated under Section 43 of the 1966 Societies Act, which involves operating a secret society.

Phee laughed at the police investigation, saying, "This must be the first time in history that a secret society has uniforms."

According to Phee, he was scheduled to take part in a rehearsal to receive the remains of two MH17 victims at the Penang International Airport at 11am today.

"Now they have to find someone else to attend the event," he lamented.

He also took a dig at press reports, which he said "played up" the issue of businessman Ong Eu Soon, 51, who was allegedly assaulted by two PPS men in Air Itam on Aug 17.

"If they did not play it up in a big way, yesterday's incident wouldn't have happened. But I don't blame the reporters," he said.

The duo had strongly denied attacking Ong, saying that the businessman had hit them first.

On the arrest of the PPS members following the Merdeka Parade at the Esplanade, Phee said this was an insult to Penang Governor Abdul Rahman Abbas, who was the chief guest of the state government at the event.

"He was the one who told me to start the initiative and (for the police) to arrest the (PPS) men, just after the parade which he attended, is an insult," Phee said.

According to Bernama, to date the PPS, set up by the Penang government in May 2011, consists of 299 teams and 9,002 members.

Their activities have been suspended pending an emergency state executive council meeting this morning.

Lim, who is also DAP secretary-general, has defended the team, arguing that the unit was set up along the lines of the Village Development and Security Committees (JKKK) which, like the PPS, did not register with the ROS - Malaysiakini, 1/9/2014, Exco man grilled for four hours, treated like 'criminal'
 

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