MCMC grills sex blogger's mum as lawyer fumes

The mother of sex blogger Alvin Tan was questioned by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) today over his controversial Ramadan posting.

However, Tan's lead counsel Chong Joo Tian (right) questioned the move, stressing that she has no connection to the case.

"We have asked them for the reasons (for questioning her and) the connection between her and the case. They were not able to tell us," he told reporters.

Chong said there is no reason to question Tan's family members because he has already been charged in court, and the posting was made without the family's knowledge. Tan was also living separately from the family at the time.

Asked if he believes that the MCMC is harassing Tan's family, Chong said the question would be best directed to the commission.

Tan's mother declined to speak to the press, and Chong said her name will only be released later.

She was seen entering the MCMC office in Kuala Lumpur about 9.50am with three others and emerged almost two hours later, only to retreat into the building upon seeing reporters waiting outside.

Chong arrived about 30 minutes later to escort her out and to speak to the press.

The whole time, Tan's mother kept her face covered with a pink hat, a jacket and a large pair of sunglasses.

Tan was charged on July 18 under Section 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act and Section 298A of the Penal Code for posting a photograph of himself and his girlfriend Vivian Lee with the greeting ‘Selamat berbuka puasa with bak kut teh ... Fragrant, delicious and appetising’, alongside the halal logo.

The couple has since posted a video apologising for the photo, which had been posted on their Facebook page.

They are also facing another charge under Section 5(1) of the Film Censorship Act for displaying pornographic photos of themselves on Tumblr between July 6 and July 7 - a move that has earned them infamy as ‘sex bloggers’.