The ISA has been abused. It must go.
Full report by Malaysiakini …
Raja Petra sent to Kamunting
Sep 23, 08 9:34am Malaysia Today editor Raja Petra Kamarudin was sent to the Kamunting Detention Centre in Taiping, Perak this morning to begin his two-year detention without trial under the Internal Security Act.
Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar last night signed the detention order for the blogger to be held under section 8(1) of the tough security law. According to the Act, Raja Petra’s two-year detention period can be renewed indefinitely.
“The act by the minister to sign the section 8 order yesterday is completely unacceptable,” said Raja Petra’s lead lawyer Malik Imtiaz.
The Kuala Lumpur High Court today heard a habeas corpus bid by Raja Petra’s lawyers to overturn the detention of the controversial blogger today.
Habeas corpus is a writ ordering prisoners to be brought before a judge to ascertain if there are any procedural defects which could render their detention unlawful.
Judge Suraya Othman asked lawyers to make their submissions on the case on Oct 28.
Earlier this morning, Raja Petra’s wife Marina Lee Abdullah confirmed the police had informed her that the detention order had been issued by the minister yesterday.
“(Police) said my husband had been sent to Kamunting this morning and that he will remain there for two years with no trial. This is the worst news I can receive but we will keep fighting for his release,” she said, holding back tears.
“This is dirty foul play by the government as they know that we are in the process of fighting for his release in the court but I was expecting this,” she told AFP.
According to journalists in Kamunting, Raja Petra arrived at the detention camp at 11.50am in a white van with heavily-tinted windows.
Ex-minister Zaid Ibrahim in court
Also present in the court this morning was ex-de facto law minister Zaid Ibrahim (left in photo), who sat next to Marina in the courtroom.
Raja Petra, 58, was arrested along with two others two weeks ago and has been under police custody in an unknown location.
The other two – Sin Chew Daily senior journalist Tan Hoon Cheng, 33 and Selangor senior executive councillor and parliamentarian Teresa Kok, 43 – have since been freed.
Tan was released 18 hours after her arrest, while Kok was freed after seven days.
According to his lawyer J Chandra, Raja Petra was arrested for publishing articles on his news portal which allegedly tarnished the leadership of the country and insulted the sanctity of Islam.
The former newspaper columnist has been charged with sedition and defamation after linking Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his wife to the sensational murder of a Mongolian woman.
poor RPK. the rakyat are with you
Malaysia politics is on the wildest roller coaster ride. When can all this end?
Politicians, irrespective of which front, when is this monkey business going to stop.
The economy is in bad shape, recession is already here and why are all the politicians still fighting for power?
Isn’t the elected politician supposed to serve the public?
Isn’t the cabinet ministers supposed to ensure that the country is moving ahead of the changing environment?
Isn’t this the time to get down to business and start governing the country like pros and not clowns?
WAKE UP, Politicians. Don’t follow the sleepy head lah!
It’s not about “ISA” or about “Dog Food” or about etc etc etc. This is about “Power” political games.
If the political parties are playing games, my advise here is stop it! We are in 2008 & the public are not stupid.
Desperate act of UMNO. They just don’t want to give RPK a chance to reveal more of their leader’s wrondoing. Deliverence day will come. God bless RPK and family. We rakyat all share the concern.
The commonsense side of me says REPEAL THE BLOODY ISA NOW. The devil side of me says, let it stay … to use it on StupidBotak and the rest of the goons …. in due course, let them have a taste of their own medicine.
WTF, when is Anwar gonna make his move?? If THEY move sooner than Anwar, then Anwar could be Kamunting-ED or SgBuloh-ED, so help us God
The rule by law is seen again and it’s victims are mainly those that opposes the govt views. They (govt) shall deem it fit to use ISA on those who they perceive as a threat to them. God forbids that such a inhumane law is put to use on ordinary citizens.
The irony part of it is that the order was signed last night for ‘just-in-time’ delivery in order to throw the spanner at the court hearings this very morning.
It is indeed another sad day for Malaysia and we have to do all we can to pressure the govt to release all in Kamunting and to charge them in court with the rule of law and not by your law (selective prosecution) !!!
Anyway, if RPK’s can be charged under ISA, what about the rest of us ? Whenever the minister is satisfied that so and so is a threat to the nation, then he will sign the order for them to have two years rest in Kamunting. It is just that simple and plain easy to put one’s signature therein but their conscience will certainly haunts them day and night as it is just so evil to deny someone of their justice.
Let the man have his say in the court unless what he is going to say in court becomes a threat to certain leader’s position and that’s the reason to just ‘ship him away’ to placate those that he had angered. YB please fight the good fight to let good sense and sanity returns to this nation for the people to live in peace and harmony.
RPK……we pray for you……
Sad event!
Let support RPK…
Light a Free RPK Candle
Shiok Guy
That is the unfairness of this law. They have created a monster in ‘Judge Dread ‘who is the judge, jury and executioner. Might as well shut down all those courts of law as they are redundant.
How come the fler who made comments about chinese being pendatang etc etc never got charged for sedition or thrown in jail under ISA ? That fler caused more racial tension in the country than everyone put together wut.From his remarks then started a chain reaction on other things..he was the catalyst!
Because he is BN fool. Abdullah scare of being kick out of Presidency. To reprimand the flier 3 years is just to please the audience of BN.
this hastily signed order, a day before the court was suppose to hear RPK’s Habeas corpus hearing suggest that the minister concern is not confident of winning the hearing so I suppose he himself is not convinced of the validity of the detention.
I have lost my respect to all the BN leaders.
and i mourn for this country.
There no such thing as HUMAN RIGHTS in Malaysia, it just doesn’t exists in this country.
Malaysia is just another Myanmar.