Police to seek historians' help to verify comic book contents

The police are expected to seek assistance from historians to verify the contents of the controversial comic book“Belt and Road Initiative for Win Winism” and will continue to record statements from its author Hew Kuan Yau.

"We have identified several historians that we will engage in verifying the historical facts in the comic book," said Federal Criminal Investigation Chief Huzir Mohamed in a media conference at Bukit Aman today.

He added: "We will continue (taking) Hew's statement..we have many questions for him to answer."

At press time, the former DAP activist and two other individuals were being questioned at Bukit Aman.

Commenting on the police investigation, Huzir said on Monday that police had visited a printing factory in Shah Alam and recorded statements from two of its employees.

The police are also checking with the National Library in regards to the ISBN (international standard book number) and the Home Ministry whether the publisher had obtained permission to publish the book.

Huzir said police had received 46 reports nationwide, with 26 reports being made in Penang.

Published by the Asia Comic Culture Museum, the comic book had sparked controversies following its content about Malaysia and China's Belt and Road Initiative.

Copies of the comic book were distributed to schools nationwide but the Education Minister Maszlee Malik had ordered the circulation in schools to cease.

The comic, among others, described Malays sympathetic to the ethnic Uyghurs in China, allegedly being forced by Beijing into re-education camps, as "radicals".

Hew had in July 2016 quit DAP after sparking controversy with his comment claiming that the South China Sea belongs to China.

On Monday, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said although Malaysia and China are friends, it is not for Malaysia to promote Beijing's ideology to the children.

"I believe China will have great influence in the future. But for the moment, it is not for us to promote Chinese ideology, but to find out how we can benefit from it," he had said. - Mkini