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©The
Malaysian Insider (Used by permission)
by Shannon Teoh
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 13 - Sin Chew journalist Tan Hoon Cheng was released
at 2.30pm today.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said this at a press conference at the
Bukit Aman police headquarters.
"She made the first report so we had to get to the bottom of it and we received
information that her life was under threat," he said.
He added that blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin and Seputeh MP Teresa Kok would
continue to be held for investigations and if there was no reason to hold them,
that they would be released within the 60 days allowed for by the Internal
Security Act.
He explained that RPK had been held after being given sufficient warning but
continued to "create tension" while DAP's Kok had touched on sensitive issues,
that is the azan call to prayer.
Kok has since denied this allegation that was originally put forward by Umno's
former Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamed Khir Toyo.
Syed Hamid insisted also that the move was not political and it was purely
thedecision of the police.
"I can tell you that the police need not refer to me. Under Section 73(1) it is
under their discretion but they will let me know.
"I think there has not been any malice on their part. We have acted within the
law," he said, adding also that if he interfered in police action, people would
say there is a political motive.
"Each one of us have our own logical explanation but none of us, whether we are
reporters or editors, we are not above the law," he said when asked why Tan but
not Datuk Ahmad Ismail, whose statement she had reported on, was picked up.
"Ahmad has been punished as a party member and suspended for three years. At the
same time there is a report against him for sedition, so we are not treating
politicians differently."
He, however, said that there was no logical link between the ISA action and
opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's Sept 16 plan to take over the
federal government as claimed by some quarters.
When asked if there would be more arrests as it was reminiscent of 1987's
Operasi Lalang, he quipped, "Is it? Let me know if there is," and insisted that
"so far, there are no other arrests".
He also scoffed at suggestions that the country would be put under a state of
emergency.
"The arrests are about public order. We do get information from members of the
public who feel unsafe, so we have to take preventive measures."
When asked if similar action would be taken if members of the public came
forward to say they felt they were under threat due to the statements by Ahmad
or Khir or any other politician, he called the question one that was racial in
nature.
"At present everything we are doing, we are looking at it from an ethnic angle.
Khir Toyo is a Malay, Ahmad Ismail is a Malay, we arrest Chinese...We should
start to think as Malaysians. Even me, if I'm considered a threat, the police
are free to take action against me."
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Circular No 304/2008
