Sunday, September 14, 2008

BN GOVERNMENT BIGGEST BLUNDER OF THE YEAR


KUALA LUMPUR: Sin Chew Daily reporter Tan Hoon Cheng was detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) because police received information that her life had been threatened, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar.

“Police wanted to get to the bottom of it,” he said. More story here...



Press briefing: Syed Hamid making a point as Narcotics Crime Investigations Department director
Deputy Comm Datuk Zulhasnan Najib Baharuddin (left) and Acting Inspector- General of
Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar (second from right) look on.

Note: If your life is under threat, please call Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar or the Police to arrest you under the Internal Security Act (ISA). This is the logic of Syed Hamid press statement.

Tan detained because life was 'under threat'

THE NEW STRAITS TIMES
By : Fay Angela D'cruz


Picture coutesy of Malaysiakini.com

KUALA LUMPUR: Sin Chew Daily reporter Tan Hoon Cheng was detained under the Internal Security Act because police believed her life was "under threat".

Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said police intelligence had ascertained that Tan's safety was threatened because of what she had written about former Bukit Bendera Umno division chairman Datuk Ahmad Ismail.

"She had received threats recently from unknown individuals," he said at Federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman, stressing that there was no political interest in the recent detentions.

The swift action was to ensure her safety, he said.

Syed Hamid said Tan was released yesterday after police were satisfied with her answers during questioning.

The reporter was released at 3.30pm and returned to her home in Bukit Mertajam.

Asked why police had to detain her under the ISA instead of just summoning her to a police station, Syed Hamid said police had acted according to the law.

"The police are just doing their job to ensure that national security and public order are maintained."

Pressed again on why the ISA was used against Tan, Syed Hamid said the report made by her was on a sensitive issue and police needed to get to the bottom of it.

"Umno also suspended Ahmad from holding any post for three whole years."

Malaysia Today news portal editor Raja Petra Kamaruddin and DAP Seputeh member of parliament Teresa Kok were also detained on Friday under the ISA for different reasons. Unlike Tan, they are still being held.

Syed Hamid said Raja Petra and Kok could be detained under section 73(1) of the ISA for up to 60 days.

Under this section, police can act to detain a person up to 60 days. It is only after this that the home minister must sign a order under section 8 of the act to detain a person for two years.

When asked whether the arrests were sparked off after news that PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was moving towards toppling the government by Sept 16, Syed Hamid said that was nonsensical.

"Please do inform me if there are any developments regarding this matter," he told reporters jokingly.

1 comment:

RWS said...

Tan Hoon Cheng's life was threatened by a likely suspect, Ahmad Ismail.

So the polis should put Ahmad Ismail in ISA not THC.

Ini polis mesti SPM saja.

MalaysiaDigest