An election reforms advocacy group has denied claims by the police and Utusan Malaysia that its South Korean intern Song Min Young is a threat to national security.
In a statement today, the National Institute for Democracy and Electoral Integrity (NIEI) said that Song was arrested while doing field work as part of her attachment programme with the organisation.
NIEI described Song (right) as an assistant researcher for the group's paper titled "Election in Malaysia: Comparison studies between Malaysia and South Korea".
Song, 24, is a student at the Chonnam National University, Gwangju and is an active member of May 18 Memorial Foundation which is a prominent pro-democracy advocacy group.
She was arrested on Saturday while traveling with Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) at Ledang, Johor as part of her observation work.
She was released the same day but arrested near her home in Kuala Lumpur yesterday evening, allegedly for violating immigration rules. She is currently held at the Bukit Jalil police detention centre.
Security threat claim baseless
NIEI said allegations that she posed a security threat, as claimed in a front page Utusan Malaysia report today, were "baseless".
"She is currently helping NIEI (in) our research work on electoral systems and is not in any way a foreign spy. Observing the (PSM)roadshow is part of NIEI's work.
"We deplore the action taken against her by the Royal Malaysian Police and demand for her immediate release," read the statement.
NIEI described itself as a non-partisan group which is in constant contact with government agencies and is in no way connected with the Bersih 2.0 movement, which is now the target of a government crackdown.
In a statement today, the National Institute for Democracy and Electoral Integrity (NIEI) said that Song was arrested while doing field work as part of her attachment programme with the organisation.
NIEI described Song (right) as an assistant researcher for the group's paper titled "Election in Malaysia: Comparison studies between Malaysia and South Korea".Song, 24, is a student at the Chonnam National University, Gwangju and is an active member of May 18 Memorial Foundation which is a prominent pro-democracy advocacy group.
She was arrested on Saturday while traveling with Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) at Ledang, Johor as part of her observation work.
She was released the same day but arrested near her home in Kuala Lumpur yesterday evening, allegedly for violating immigration rules. She is currently held at the Bukit Jalil police detention centre.
Security threat claim baseless
NIEI said allegations that she posed a security threat, as claimed in a front page Utusan Malaysia report today, were "baseless".
"She is currently helping NIEI (in) our research work on electoral systems and is not in any way a foreign spy. Observing the (PSM)roadshow is part of NIEI's work.
"We deplore the action taken against her by the Royal Malaysian Police and demand for her immediate release," read the statement.
NIEI described itself as a non-partisan group which is in constant contact with government agencies and is in no way connected with the Bersih 2.0 movement, which is now the target of a government crackdown.NIEI chief Amin Iskandar (left) and South Korean embassy officials have visted Song at the detention centre today.
Since Sunday, Utusan Malaysia has been claiming that Bersih 2.0 is being infiltrated by communist elements and is threatening to topple the federal government by violent means.
But Bersih 2.0 is maintaining their position that they are a non-partisan civil society driven movement, out to create awareness and campaign for electoral reforms. - Malaysiakini
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