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©The Sun (Used by permission)

PETALING JAYA (Oct 13, 2008) : The prosecution will be calling 10 to 13 more witnesses to testify when the sedition trial of blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin resumes in November, the sessions court here was told today.

The trial was to have continued today but was postponed to Nov 10 - 13 because sessions judge Rozina Ayob is on medical leave.

DPP Ishak Mohd Yusoff told judge Balqis Aini Mohd Ali, who presided over the hearing, the prosecution would continue with the questioning of Supt Gan Tack Guan, who had been called to testify last week.

Gan, the senior investigating officer in the Altantuya murder trial, had filed a police report against Raja Petra on April 30, claiming that several elements in a Malaysia-today.net article titled 'Let's send the Altantuya murderers to hell' were "untrue and made up". The article was posted online on April 25.

Raja Petra's counsel, J Chandra, asked the court to allow his client to undergo a further medical check-up, including a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.

He said an initial examination last Friday had revealed that Raja Petra is suffering from a spinal condition which requires medical attention.

"(He has a) pre-existing condition of lumbar spine degenerative disease which was aggravated after moving into detention. He feels that the poor sleeping facilities at the detention centre exacerbated his condition," said Chandra, who read from a medical report prepared by a chiropractor at Cheras Specialist Centre.

Balqis allowed Raja Petra to go for the check-up on the condition that all rules of the Internal Security Act (ISA), under which Raja Petra has been detained since Sept 22, are complied with.

Raja Petra, who spoke to reporters, said he was happier with the changes in his diet at the Kamunting detention camp. "Now, I get biscuits and eggs," he said.

A statement issued by Prisons Department public relations officer Hadi Ag Kassim last Thursday said that bread, biscuits and eggs would be added to Raja Petra'ss diet after approval by medical officers at the camp.

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