An author has claimed he was questioned by the police for supposedly posting tweets in 2016 that insulted then prime minister Najib Abdul Razak and then inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar.
The author - ES Shankar, who wrote the 2015 book Murdered in Malaysia: The Altantuya Story - said he was detained immediately upon arrival at the immigration counters at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Aug 7.
He claimed he was held from 3.30pm until 11.00pm that day, where he was interrogated by four Special Branch personnel from Bukit Aman who arrived at about 8.00pm.
“They said I’d have to give a statement. If I didn’t give a statement, they would have to take me to a police station and locked up overnight for (remand) hearing and so on,” he told Malaysiakini when contacted yesterday.
During his interrogation, he said he was informed that he was being investigated under Section 504 of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 over two tweets he allegedly made in November 2016.
Section 504 of the Penal Code pertains to intentional insult with the intention to provoke a breach of peace and is punishable with up to two year’s imprisonment, a fine, or both.
Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, meanwhile, criminalises abuse of network services to cause annoyance or offence. Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo had said that the provision, which is criticised as being too vague and stifles political dissent, is being reviewed.
Shankar further claimed police had also searched his belongings for items such as phones and laptops but to no avail, while Immigration Department officers took his passport and an emergency travel document issued by the Malaysian High Commission in Toronto.
He was eventually released on police bail but was told to present himself to a magistrate’s court on Oct 8.
Shankar said he had left Malaysia on September 2015 at around the time of the publication of his book out of concern that the publication may lead to repercussions against him.
He had remained overseas since including the time when the tweets were allegedly made, until after the 14th general election when he began to make arrangements for his return. - Mkini
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