The news portal’s lawyer Syahredzan Johan said on Twitter that the duo were picked up under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act and Section 4 of the Sedition Act.KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 — After yesterday’s arrest of three The Malaysian Insider editors over a recent hudud report, police hauled up the news portal’s chief executive Jahabar Sadiq this morning and Ho Kay Tat, the group CEO of The Edge Media Group that owns TMI.
The news portal’s lawyer Syahredzan Johan said on Twitter that the duo were picked up under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act and Section 4 of the Sedition Act.
According to a report on TMI, the arrests were made when Ho and Jahabar turned up this morning at the Dang Wangi district police headquarters to have their statements taken.
“These arrests appear to go beyond just our reportage about one hudud article,” Jahabar was quoted saying before his arrest.
“The Malaysian Insider will continue to report without fear or favour despite these arrests. It is business as usual,” he added.
Last night three of TMI’s editors were arrested after the police and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) officials raided the editorial’s office.
The trio were TMI managing editor Lionel Morais, Bahasa Malaysia news editor Amin Shah Iskandar and features and analysis editor Zulkifli Sulong.
Section 4 of the Sedition Act criminalises any speech or text with a seditious tendency while Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act deals with improper use of network facilities or network services.
On his Twitter account prior to his detention, Jahabar tweeted: “Good morning Twitterjaya, journalism takes you to many places, and today I’ll go to #LokapJaya.”
Last week, TMI ran a report citing an unnamed source as claiming that the Conference of Rulers had rejected proposed legal amendments that would allow hudud to be enforced. This was later denied by the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal, who also lodged a police report over the article.
This prompted Barisan Nasional MPs to demand legal action against a news portal and its owners for “irresponsible” reportage.
The lawmakers including Tanjong Karang MP Datuk Seri Noh Omar, Titiwangsa MP Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani and Lenggong MP Datuk Shamsul Anuar Nasarah also accused the portal of reporting “twisted facts” in another article on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s speech on the Sedition Act during the Police Day celebration.
Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said on Twitter last Thursday that the police will question TMI’s chief editor over the news portal’s allegedly “inaccurate and confusing” reports.
Last Friday, TMI columnist Khoo Ying Hooi was also investigated for an article critical of police action on #KitaLawan rally participants.
It is understood that Khoo, a Universiti Malaya (UM) academic, is being investigated under Section 500 of the Penal Code for defamation over an article titled “Who owns the police?”
- See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/cops-arrest-tmi-the-edge-bosses-for-sedition-probe#sthash.s0EYHYp9.dpuf
