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| May 3, 2008 | |
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Malaysian police seize blogger's computers
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| Malaysia Today operator refuses to answer queries over posting implicating DPM Najib in murder case | |
| By Chow Kum Hor | |
| KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIAN police yesterday seized two computers belonging to a prominent website owner and blogger, following a posting by him that implicated the Deputy Prime Minister in a high-profile murder case.
Police later tried but failed to record a statement from Mr Raja Petra Kamarudin, who runs the hugely-popular Malaysia Today website. Mr Raja Petra said he refused to answer any questions despite the police seeking his cooperation. 'I see no reason why I should answer any of their questions,' Mr Raja Petra told The Straits Times after spending about two hours in the station. 'I am prepared to face any action after this.' Earlier in the morning, seven policemen from the federal police cybercrime division raided Mr Raja Petra's home and confiscated his laptop and a central processing unit (CPU), according to a posting on his website. Mr Raja Petra said the police action amounted to intimidation. The police were investigating a controversial piece he had posted on April 25, titled Let's Send The Altantuya Murderers To Hell, on Malaysia Today. In the article, Mr Raja Petra insinuated that Deputy Premier Najib Razak and his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, were involved in the murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu,. The murder case is now being heard in court. Those charged are two police commandos who were guarding VIPs, and political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda, who is said to be close to Datuk Seri Najib. Mr Raja Petra also alleged that Datin Seri Rosmah had told a senior police officer to 'solve Razak's problem'. On Wednesday, Datin Seri Rosmah slammed those who had tarnished her name on the Internet. She did not name the slanderous postings, but it was understood that she was referring to the piece by Mr Raja Petra. On the same day, he carried in full a written rebuttal on the contentious posting from Datuk Seri Najib's office. 'These allegations are unfounded and designed to tarnish his (Datuk Seri Najib's) standing within the Malaysian public,' the politician's press secretary Tengku Sariffuddin Tengku Ahmad wrote. It is highly unusual for a representative of senior politicians to respond to online reports and blogs, which are often viewed with suspicion by the government. This is not Mr Raja Petra's first brush with the authorities over his website. Last July, police quizzed him for eight hours in a probe into allegations that he allegedly insulted the Malaysian King. No charges were pressed. In March, the High Court ordered Mr Raja Petra and editors of an opposition party's newsletter to pay RM7 million (S$3 million) to the Northern University of Malaysia's vice-chancellor, Dr Nordin Kardi for libel. Mr Raja Petra had alleged that Tan Sri Dr Nordin was a plagiarist. Malaysia Today is one of the most recognisable names in the country's blogosphere. It was one of the first to write about Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's marriage to Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah. | |
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