Why is the police arresting journalists like The Malaysian Insider chief executive Jahabar Sadiq? Police could simply ask them to come to the police station to assist in the investigations, and I am sure they will come - now, if they do not turn up, then and only then is there a good reason to arrest people...
Remember when a person is arrested by the police, naturally they are 'suspects' and as such they have the right to not give any statement - they can simply say...'anything I have to say, I will say in court'...and that is that. So, no reason whatsoever to arrest and remand them... If the police wants to charge them in court, just charge them...
The arrests are about articles/reports in their publication - they will not deny this fact. So, why are they 'raiding' the Malaysian Insider office and going through stuff... This is not right.
Police arrest Edge, TMI executives for sedition
Both were arrested this morning when they turned up at the Dang Wangi police station for their statements to be taken. Police said they would apply for a remand order for the duo and three other The Malaysian Insider editors arrested last night.
"These arrests appear to go beyond just our reportage about one hudud article," Jahabar said before he was arrested.
"The Malaysian Insider will continue to report without fear or favour despite these arrests. It is business as usual," he added. The three arrested last night were Lionel Morais, Amin Shah Iskandar and Zulkifli Sulong.
This brings the number of arrests of media personnel to five from the The Edge Media Group: four editors and one director.
Syahredzan was engaged yesterday to represent Morais, Amin and Zulkifli.
Morais is the portal's managing editor, Amin its Bahasa section editor and Zulkifli the features and analysis editor.
They were arrested at The Edge Media Group's offices in Mutiara Damansara yesterday evening.
Police are seeking to remand the three detained yesterday. The remand hearing will be held this morning.
The five arrests are over a report published on The Malaysian Insider on March 25 which said the Conference of Rulers had rejected a proposal to amend a federal law that would pave the way for hudud to be enforced in Kelantan.
The article said that the proposal to amend the law was in a report by the joint Hudud Technical Committee, which comprised of Kelantan state religious officials and those from the federal government. The joint committee had prepared the report on the proposed amendments for the rulers to consider at their meeting on March 11, but it did not go through.
The Keeper of the Rulers' Seal lodged a police report on March 26 to deny that the Conference of Rulers had discussed the matter, adding that it had never issued any statement on hudud in Kelantan.
Kedah Umno Youth also filed a police report against the portal. Barisan Nasional MPs have complained about the portal in Parliament, while Utusan Malaysia has carried several reports calling for action against the portal.
The Edge and The Malaysian Insider have also been reporting on problems with the government-owned strategic investment fund, 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB). – March 31, 2015.
Dragnet continues: TMI top bosses detained
The Edge
publisher Ho Kay Tat and The Malaysian Insider (TMI) chief executive
Jahabar Sadiq were arrested this morning when they turned up at the Dang
Wangi police station for questioning.
The arrest of the duo came hot in the heels of the arrest of three senior TMI editors - Lionel Morais, Amin Shah Iskandar and Zulkifli Sulong - over a report on the Conference of Rulers published by the news portal which is said to be erroneous.
Late yesterday afternoon a team of police and Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) officials raided the TMI office and seized a number of laptops.
According to TMI, the police will be applying for a remand order for five editors later today.
"These arrests appear to go beyond just our reportage about one hudud article," Jahabar told TMI before he was arrested.
"The Malaysian Insider will continue to report without fear or favour despite these arrests. It is business as usual."
The Edge is owner of the TMI news portal.
The five are investigated under Section 4 of the Sedition Act for publishing seditious material and Section 233 of the Communication and Multimedia Act 1998.
If found guilty, they can be fined up to RM5,000 and jailed up to three years or both.
Under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act, they can be fined up to RM50,000, jailed up to a year or both.
More than 100 politicians and civil society activists have been arrested in this month alone.
[More to follow] - Malaysiakini, 31/3/2015, Dragnet continues: TMI top bosses detained
The arrest of the duo came hot in the heels of the arrest of three senior TMI editors - Lionel Morais, Amin Shah Iskandar and Zulkifli Sulong - over a report on the Conference of Rulers published by the news portal which is said to be erroneous.
Late yesterday afternoon a team of police and Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) officials raided the TMI office and seized a number of laptops.
According to TMI, the police will be applying for a remand order for five editors later today.
"These arrests appear to go beyond just our reportage about one hudud article," Jahabar told TMI before he was arrested."The Malaysian Insider will continue to report without fear or favour despite these arrests. It is business as usual."
The Edge is owner of the TMI news portal.
The five are investigated under Section 4 of the Sedition Act for publishing seditious material and Section 233 of the Communication and Multimedia Act 1998.
If found guilty, they can be fined up to RM5,000 and jailed up to three years or both.
Under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act, they can be fined up to RM50,000, jailed up to a year or both.
More than 100 politicians and civil society activists have been arrested in this month alone.
[More to follow] - Malaysiakini, 31/3/2015, Dragnet continues: TMI top bosses detained
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