Cargo worker arrested for sedition over Facebook group
A cargo worker at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) became the latest victim of Putrajaya's sedition blitz when he was arrested early this morning.
Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) coordinator Michelle Yesudas said Syafiq Abdul Wahid was arrested by police at 3am at his workplace in KLIA.
"Syafiq was arrested for allegedly being the administrator of a parody Facebook page. He has been remanded for three days," Michelle said.
She said police believed that Syafiq was the administrator of the Facebook page "Persatuan Kongsi Gelap Melayu" or "Malay Secret Societies Association".
"I was told by the investigating officer that police will apply for an extension once Syafiq's remand order expires on Sunday," Michelle said.
Michelle said the plight of 24-year-old Syafiq was related to LFL by his elder brother in a text message.
The Facebook page "Persatuan Kongsi Gelap Melayu" is about a "legendary" Malaysian thug. Its posts are about a fictional character “Ayah”.
The description on the page reads: "Kisah ayah legend yang sembang kuat … Why so serious? Ni troll laaa bangang …" ("This is the story of a legendary godfather who likes to talk big … Why so serious? I’m just trolling,…”)
In the latest post, “Ayah” recounts how he slapped a loan shark so hard that the outline of his hand is imprinted onto the person’s back, with a picture as evidence.
In recent weeks, opposition lawmakers, academicians, journalists and preachers have all run afoul of the Sedition Act 1948.
Padang Serai MP N.Surendran, Batu MP Tian Chua, Universiti Malaya law professor Dr Azmi Sharom, Malaysiakini's Susan Loone have all been detained or charged for sedition.
The present sedition blitz by Putrajaya has been compared with the 1987 Ops Lalang, in which over 100 opposition leaders and activists were detained under the Internal Security Act. – September 19, 2014.
