Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
| WIKILEAKS: PROMINENT BLOGGER FLEES SEDITION TRIAL Posted: 07 Aug 2011 01:00 AM PDT
Poloff met with one of Raja Petra's lead lawyers on April 23. The lawyer disclosed that following Raja Petra's last appearance in court in February Raja Petra's legal team concluded their client would be found guilty and imprisoned under the sedition charges, and informed Raja Petra accordingly. The lawyer claimed that the ruling coalition's political influence over the court proceedings precluded a fair trail. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin
C O N F I D E N T I A L KUALA LUMPUR 000323
SIPDIS
FOR EAP/MTS AND DRL
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/29/2019 TAGS: PHUM, PINS, PGOV, KJUS, KDEM, UK, MY SUBJECT: PROMINENT BLOGGER FLEES SEDITION TRIAL
REF: A. 08 KL 990 - RAJA PETRA RELEASED FROM ISA B. 08 KL 846 - UPDATE ON RAJA PETRA DETENTION C. 08 KL 806 - JOURNALIST DETAINED UNDER ISA
Classified By: Political Counselor Mark D. Clark for reasons 1.4 (b and d).
Summary and Comment 1. (C) Prominent blogger and government critic Raja Petra Kamarudin, who was jailed for two months in 2008 under the Internal Security Act (ISA), failed to appear for his sedition trail on April 23, and the court subsequently issued a warrant for his arrest. A member of his defense team informed poloff that Raja Petra, along with his wife, fled to the United Kingdom about two months ago on the belief that he would face eventual imprisonment for sedition. 2. (SBU) Comment: Raja Petra, Malaysia's most controversial on-line voice, will continue to be a nuisance to Prime Minister Najib's administration. Not expecting to return to Malaysia anytime soon, we can expect Raja Petra to ratchet up his criticism and purported exposes during his self-imposed exile. End Summary and Comment. Where is Raja Petra? 3. (SBU) Raja Petra Kamarudin, an outspoken blogger and member of the Selangor state royal family failed to appear at Sessions Court for the continuation of his sedition trial on April 23. The court subsequently issued a warrant for his arrest. Raja Petra faced charges under the Sedition Act for articles he posted on his website, Malaysia Today, regarding the high-profile Altantuya murder case and the victim's alleged ties to Prime Minister Najib and his wife. If convicted of sedition, he faces a maximum sentence of three years in jail. 4. (U) On April 23, Raja Petra posted on his website his reasons for not appearing in court. He claimed Malaysian authorities intended to detain him under the ISA, as the Government had done in September 2008 (ref A-C). He also stated the courts were unable to provide him with a fair trial and noted the government was using sedition charges and criminal defamation charges, in addition to detaining him under ISA, for linking the Prime Minister to the murdered Mongolian national Altantuya. Raja Petra also mentioned that he had angered the Selangor royal family with his criticism of the Sultan of Perak related to the ruling coalition's takeover of Perak state government from the opposition, and therefore could not return to Selangor. Lawyer Confirms Departure for UK 5. (C) Poloff met with one of Raja Petra's lead lawyers on April 23. The lawyer disclosed that following Raja Petra's last appearance in court in February Raja Petra's legal team concluded their client would be found guilty and imprisoned under the sedition charges, and informed Raja Petra accordingly. The lawyer claimed that the ruling coalition's political influence over the court proceedings precluded a fair trail. He said that Raja Petra, who holds both Malaysian and British passports, along with his wife had left for the UK some two months ago and remained there. His departure was kept closely guarded with Raja Petra's closest friends remaining in the dark. The lawyer said it was unclear if the Attorney General's Office realized Raja Petra had left Malaysia, as the prosecutor's public statements indicated he was still in the country. After the court's issuance of an arrest warrant for Raja Petra, and a "show cause notice" for his wife as bail guarantor, some on-line articles suggested Raja Petra was in the UK. KEITH
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| Now do you understand the difference? Posted: 06 Aug 2011 07:30 PM PDT
More than 1,000 Malaysians have lost their lives in extra-judicial killings over the last decade or so. Only one man is shot dead by the police and London erupts and transforms into chaos. Yes, it is not so easy for police to take people's lives here in the UK compared to in Malaysia. And this is why we need a civil society movement -- to teach Malaysians not to accept shit from their government. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin
Riot hits London after police shoot father of four (Associated Press) -- The gritty north London neighbourhood of Tottenham exploded in anger Saturday night after a young man was shot to death by police. Two patrol cars, a building and a double-decker bus were torched as rioters clashed with officers in front of the Tottenham Police Station, where people had gathered to demand "justice" for the death of a 29-year-old killed in an apparent gunfight. "It's really bad," said local resident David Akinsanya, 46. "There are two police cars on fire. I'm feeling unsafe." Sirens could be heard across the city as authorities rushed reinforcements to the scene. In Tottenham shop windows were smashed as residents looted the stores, pushing shopping carts full of stolen goods down the street. Officers in riot gear and on horseback pushed up against the demonstrators. Akinsanya put the number of demonstrators at between 400 and 500. Police said there were about 300 people gathered. Miles from the tourist hotspots of central London, Tottenham is one of the most deprived areas in all of England, with nearly half of all children living in poverty, according to campaigners. In 1985, Tottenham was the scene of a deadly riot after a local woman suffered heart failure when her home was raided by the police. The Tottenham riots were among the most violent in the country's history, with one officer stabbed to death as he tried to protect firefighters and nearly 60 others were hospitalized. *******************************
London rioters battle police after shooting protest (REUTERS) -- Rioters throwing petrol bombs battled police in a economically deprived district of London overnight, setting patrol cars, buildings and a double-decker bus on fire in some of the worst disorder seen in the British capital for recent years. About 200 people rained missiles and bottles on riot officers near Tottenham district police station after a street protest over the fatal shooting of a man by armed officers earlier in the week turned violent. Mounted police and riot officers on foot in turn charged the crowd to push them back. Eight officers were taken to hospital, one with head injuries, as rioters smashed windows and looted buildings including banks, shops and a supermarket and torched three police cars in the main road near the local police station. The trouble broke out on Saturday night following a peaceful demonstration over the shooting of Mark Duggan, 29, who was killed after an exchange of gunfire with police on Thursday. Duggan had been in a taxi when it was stopped by armed officers as part of a pre-planned operation. One policeman escaped unhurt after a bullet struck his radio. Duggan's death is being investigated by the independent police watchdog. Although there have been riots in other European countries linked to austerity measures to tackle large national debts, London police and local community leaders said anger at Duggan's shooting was the cause of the riot. Tottenham has a large number of ethnic minorities and includes areas with the highest unemployment rates in London. It also has a history of racial tension with local young people, especially blacks, resenting police behaviour including the use of stop and search powers.
NOTORIOUS RACE RIOT IN 1985 The disorder was very close to where one of Britain's most notorious race riots occurred just over 25 years ago. In 1985, police officer Keith Blakelock was hacked to death on the deprived Broadwater Farm housing estate during rioting in which around 500 mainly black youths rampaged through the streets, assaulting police, looting and setting fires. Classford Stirling, a youth worker from Broadwater Farm, said there had been growing anger recently over stop and search practices by police. "It wasn't just black kids. It was the youth in general who are frustrated at the way the police are treating them," he told BBC TV. "Everybody's now thinking of the way Mr Duggan was shot and they want answers. It's very difficult to turn round and say to them this is the wrong way because they believe this is the only way that they're going to get attention." Television pictures showed a blazing bus surrounded by rioters and hooded youths pelting an abandoned police car with rocks and missiles. Media reported some locals had to flee their homes to escape the violence. While the bulk of the disturbance had been brought under control early on Sunday, pockets of trouble were still erupting nearby. Buildings were smouldering with plumes of smoke billowing across the skyline. "The rioting in Tottenham last night was utterly unacceptable," a spokesman for Prime Minister David Cameron said. "There is no justification for the aggression the police and the public faced, or for the damage to property." Police Commander Stephen Watson said the scenes were "very distressing" for Londoners and perpetrators would be brought to justice. "Our intention ... is to bring things to as swift a conclusion as we can. Our absolute aim is to restore normality." Local member of parliament David Lammy said: "The Tottenham community and Mark Duggan's family and friends need to understand what happened on Thursday evening when Mark lost his life. To understand those facts, we must have calm." London also saw riots at the end of last year when protests against government plans to raise tuition fees for university students in the centre of London turned violent with police and government buildings attacked. During the most serious disturbances last December, rioters targeted the limousine belonging to heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, kicking its doors, cracking a window and reportedly jabbing Camilla with a stick.  |
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