KUALA LUMPUR: Citizen Action Group on Enforced Disappearance (CAGED) spokesperson Rama Ramanathan shows no sign of regret for writing an article that has triggered an investigation by the police.
Speaking to reporters at Bukit Aman after his questioning today, he said the organisation would not be intimidated and that it believed only “a few bad apples” were giving the police a bad reputation.
Rama was asked to present himself to have a statement recorded at Bukit Aman today.
He was told that he would be investigated under Section 504 of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission Act, which deal with “intentional insult” and “the improper use of network facilities”.
The investigation is related to an Oct 20 article on his blog citing witness accounts of how the sister of activist Jufazli Shi Ahmad might have prevented Jufazli from becoming the latest victim of enforced disappearance.
“The questioning was around the article, but I don’t think the issue is that particular article.
“I think the real focus is on all the things that I have been writing of late regarding the proposed Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) and enforced disappearances, but the article is just convenient for them to zero in on,” he said.
He said police did not tell him exactly what they were unhappy about with the article.
He said instead of telling him to change what they disagreed with, as others had done over his previous articles, the police had chosen “to use their power to intimidate, telling us that they have the power and they can call us in whenever they want”.
He said this was the sad state of the reality regarding Malaysian enforcement agencies currently, adding this was due to “systemic issues from within”.