Police have opened an investigation paper on online news portal Malaysiakini ’s Penang-based journalist, Susan Loone.
Bernama news agency reported state police chief Abdul Rahim Hanafi as saying that Loone would be investigated following multiple reports lodged against her and Malaysiakini yesterday.
Rahim said until yesterday, nine reports have been lodged against Loone for writing an article headlined ‘ Disoal siasat selama 4 jam, dakwa dilayan seperti penjenayah ’ published on Monday, which is allegedly “inciting and seditious”.
“Following the police reports by several NGOs in the state, we have opened an investigation paper under Section 41c of the 1948 Sedition Act as the article is said to have threatened the harmony of the communities in the country,” Rahim is quoted as saying by Bernama today.
“Police will be calling the journalist to record her statement for further investigation,” he said after attending the monthly assembly of the Penang Police Contingent this morning.
The article is an interview with Voluntary Patrol Unit (PPS) chairperson Phee Booh Poh, who is also state executive councillor in charge of welfare, caring society and environment, at 1.30am on Monday, when Phee was under police custody.
'Declared illegal'
Last Sunday, police arrested 156 PPS members, including Phee, for disobeying the order not to carry out any activity after the group was declared illegal as it is not registered with the Registrar of Societies.
Meanwhile, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the state government is willing to provide legal aid to the reporter. This is to protect the practice of free speech.
In another development, Rahim said police have sent the CCTV recording from Lim's residence to the special forensic team in Bukit Aman to identify the suspect who threw a Molotov cocktail into his residence at 11.48pm last Saturday night.
The petrol bomb landed in the car park area and exploded.
"The forensic team here (Penang police headquarters) has reviewed the recording but failed to identify the suspect and the motorcycle registration number, so the CCTV recording has been sent to the Forensics Department at Bukit Aman," Rahim said, adding that police were still working on the case.
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