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JOHOR BAHRU: Radio personality and actor Patrick Teoh have been jailed for three days starting today to facilitate the investigation of their alleged insulting remarks against Johor’s Tunku Mahkota, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, and Johor’s royal institution.
The return order was issued by Judge Saba’aton Daud.
Johor Police Chief Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay told Bernama Teoh, 73, that he was detained by a state commercial CID police team at Petaling Jaya Police Headquarters yesterday.
Police also confiscated a laptop belonging to Teoh, he said.
“On Friday, Johor police received a report from the public alleging that a Facebook user named” Patrick Teoh “had insulted Tunku Ismail,” he said in a statement here.
The case is being investigated under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act of 1998, which establishes a fine of up to RM50,000 or imprisonment of up to one year or both, in case of conviction.
Meanwhile, Khan advised the public not to misuse the app services to upload false statements with the intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass another person.
Release him now, urge Suaram
Meanwhile, the executive director of Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram), Sevan Doraisamy, in a statement, expressed concern over the arrest.
“Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) 1998 was not designed to criminalize online comments, nor is it a criminal offense for someone to post rude or offensive comments online as long as it does not threaten the safety and well-being of another person .
“The arrest and pretrial detention of any person under Section 233 of the CMA for allegedly insulting the real institution is an abuse of the law, since any investigation for such a crime can be done remotely without the need for a prison prolonged preventive “.
Sevan said the Johor police were notorious for abusing CMA Section 233 in recent years with mass arrests for comments made about soccer and a tendency to request an extended period of detention for a “crime” that does not require arrest of the alleged author.
He said limited police resources were being wasted in arresting and detaining people for online comments that do not threaten the safety and well-being of others.
“In the case of Zaid Ibrahim under Section 233 of the CMA, where he allegedly insulted (former Prime Minister) Najib Razak, the Sessions Court ruled that the prosecution must call the victim and have the victim testify that he was affected by the statement of the accused. “
In this context, perhaps the Johor police should verify that the alleged victim in this case was genuinely affected by a casual comment from a random individual online before spending limited police resources to arrest and detain a person for alleged comments. online offensive during a pandemic. “
Seven called for Teoh’s immediate release and for the government to immediately review and restrict the faulty application of CMA Section 233 by the police.
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