PRM member charged for tweet on IGP
Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) member Victor Wong
has pleaded not guilty to a charge against him of insulting
Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar and the Royal Malaysian
Police Force.
Wong was charged in a sessions court in Kuala Lumpur today with making a Twitter posting on Aug 31, after the arrests of Penang Voluntary Unit (PPS) members on that day.
He was charged under Section 504 of the Penal Code, with an alternative charge under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
Wong posted his bail of RM4,000 and the trial date was fixed for Oct 27.
Wong, 43, is a factory manager and a freelance writer with online news site The Ant Daily.
Some 10 supporters were present in the courtroom today, among them PRM president Rohana Ariffin (left).
If convicted under the primary charge, Wong faces up to two years' jail, or a fine, or both.
On the alternative charge, he faces either a maximum fine of RM50,000 or one year’s jail, or both.
Wong's was represented by Arafas Abdul Razak, while the deputy public prosecutor was Mohd Nordin.
The presiding was judge Abdul Rashid Daud.
The charge sheet states that Victor Wong posted on Twitter: “Bastardization of @PDRM. Thanks to the ruthless @KRAB51 Henrich Himmler of Malaysia” and that Wong therefore insulted the IGDP and PDRM, on 31st of August, in a McDonald Restaurant in MidValley, Kuala Lumpur.
@PDRMsia is the official Twitter account for PDRM, whereas KRAB51 owned by IGP himself.
Arafas pointed out that the police were initially investigating Wong under the sedition law, but in the end chose to charge him under the Penal Code.
The bail was set for RM7,000 at first, but Arafas argued that Wong did no harm to society and has been cooperative with the police, and asked for the bail to be set at RM4,000.
When interviewed, Wong said he made the comment because of the arrest of PPS members by the police.
“So many innocent people were arrested. It's not fair. I mad the comment based on the injustice (of the PPS case).”
Police arrested more than 150 Penang Voluntary Patrol Unit (PPS) members on Aug 31, the federal Merdeka Day, claiming they are illegal as PPS is not registered under Societies Act.
Soon after making his comment, Wong apologised on Twitter to the IGP and the police force. However, IGP Khalid Abu Bakar said action would be taken against anyone who insults him. - Malaysiakini, 15/9/2014, PRM member charged for tweet on IGP
Wong was charged in a sessions court in Kuala Lumpur today with making a Twitter posting on Aug 31, after the arrests of Penang Voluntary Unit (PPS) members on that day.
He was charged under Section 504 of the Penal Code, with an alternative charge under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
Wong posted his bail of RM4,000 and the trial date was fixed for Oct 27.
Wong, 43, is a factory manager and a freelance writer with online news site The Ant Daily.
Some 10 supporters were present in the courtroom today, among them PRM president Rohana Ariffin (left).
If convicted under the primary charge, Wong faces up to two years' jail, or a fine, or both.
On the alternative charge, he faces either a maximum fine of RM50,000 or one year’s jail, or both.
Wong's was represented by Arafas Abdul Razak, while the deputy public prosecutor was Mohd Nordin.
The presiding was judge Abdul Rashid Daud.
The charge sheet states that Victor Wong posted on Twitter: “Bastardization of @PDRM. Thanks to the ruthless @KRAB51 Henrich Himmler of Malaysia” and that Wong therefore insulted the IGDP and PDRM, on 31st of August, in a McDonald Restaurant in MidValley, Kuala Lumpur.
@PDRMsia is the official Twitter account for PDRM, whereas KRAB51 owned by IGP himself.
Arafas pointed out that the police were initially investigating Wong under the sedition law, but in the end chose to charge him under the Penal Code.
The bail was set for RM7,000 at first, but Arafas argued that Wong did no harm to society and has been cooperative with the police, and asked for the bail to be set at RM4,000.
When interviewed, Wong said he made the comment because of the arrest of PPS members by the police.
“So many innocent people were arrested. It's not fair. I mad the comment based on the injustice (of the PPS case).”
Police arrested more than 150 Penang Voluntary Patrol Unit (PPS) members on Aug 31, the federal Merdeka Day, claiming they are illegal as PPS is not registered under Societies Act.
Soon after making his comment, Wong apologised on Twitter to the IGP and the police force. However, IGP Khalid Abu Bakar said action would be taken against anyone who insults him. - Malaysiakini, 15/9/2014, PRM member charged for tweet on IGP
Police chief wants probe on tweets insulting him
Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Khalid Abu Bakar has asked the force's cyber investigation unit (PCIRC) to act against individuals who insulted him on social networking site Twitter.
Khalid posted screenshots in his own Twitter account of two individuals who tagged Khalid with insulting messages directed at the police chief.
Although
the reason for their outburst is unclear but it could be related to the
police's action against the Penang Voluntary Unit (PPS) earlier today.In both Twitter postings, Khalid mentioned PCIRC and requested that action be taken against them.
In one posting, a man tagged Khalid and called him "anjing BN" (BN dog), while another posted, "Thanks to ruthless (Khalid), Henrich Himmler of Malaysia."
Khalid said the first individual he mentioned was being "insolent" against the IGP and subsequently requested action against the other Twitter user.
Cyber response team starts probe
In a statement posted on its Facebook, the PCIRC said that it would investigate the two individuals, though it did not specify under what sections.
"The
Police Cyber Investigation Response Centre will take action and conduct
investigations on individuals who issue statements that insult PDRM
through social media.”It also posted the screenshots of the two Twitter postings to help identify the individuals behind it.
Khalid had earlier today ordered the police to take action against PPS, and currently 154 of them have been detained by Penang police, despite the state government's insistence that PPS is a legal state agency.
The police chief had argued that PPS is not registered under the Societies Act and thus it is an illegal organisation. - Malaysiakini, 31/8/2014, Police chief wants probe on tweets insulting him
