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PETALING JAYA: Three civil societies have condemned the arrest of a member of the DAP state assembly for sedition for a post on Facebook about the protests taking place in Thailand, saying it makes no sense as it is not relevant to the Malaysian context .
Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram), the electoral reform group Bersih 2.0 and the Center for Independent Journalism (CIJ) question the arrest of Ronnie Liu based on a post he made about the political situation in another country.
“The investigation launched against Ronnie Liu does not make any sense in the context of the laws and legal thresholds in Malaysia.
“It is unlikely that the police and the ‘public’ whistleblower would read the message and suggest that this post may be construed as an affront to the Malaysian monarchy,” the three organizations said in a joint statement.
Liu was arrested this morning for sedition after arriving for questioning at the Petaling Jaya District Police Headquarters. He has since been released on police bail.
Yesterday, it was reported that Liu was being investigated for a social media post that was said to be seditious towards Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
The post on his Facebook page contained a photo of demonstrations in Thailand with the caption: “Now in Bangkok. They are saying no to the King. “
But Suaram, Bersih 2.0 and CIJ argued that the Sedition Act of 1948 is purely domestic in nature and “does not prohibit any comment or criticism against foreign governments or other entities.”
Therefore, they said, the police must explain to the public in what context the Act was cited and used to arrest and detain the Sungai Pelek Assemblyman.
“Failing to do so, the police can only be described as acting arbitrarily and against the law and the interests of Malaysia, as they have arrested and detained a representative of the people for a mere notification about the political development of a neighboring country without the due justification “
