bobjots : redux

2100 - Finally left the house to go to Bukit Aman (Police Headquarters) where a Solidarity Gathering has been organised. I got a call on the way there from Latheefa Koya (PKR Supreme Council member and lawyer) informing me that a missing person's report has been made at the Dang Wangi police station.

2145 - Arrived in Bukit Aman. The press corps is already there together with friends, members of Nat's family and supporters. Tian Chua (Information Chief of PKR), Shamsul Iskandar (Youth Chief of PKR) and a few others have gone inside to try to get more information. I was informed that Nat was escorted to his home and his computer was seized as well. Witnesses also report that Nat was handcuffed by then.

2211 - The police finally admits to holding Nat but refuse/are unable to divulge his location. Initial indications seem to imply that he has been arrested under the Official Secrets Act and is being investigated by the Cybercrimes Division of the Commercial Crimes Department. There's also indication that he won't be released tonight but will be held for at least 24 hours.

2220 - Nat's parents and Polytikus leave for the Cybercrimes Division's office at Jalan Dato' Onn together with lawyer William Leong (PKR National Treasurer).

2248 - Tian and company emerges from the Bukit Aman abyss and gives a short briefing on the circumstances of the arrest. Apparently he has been detained to facilitate an investigation based on a police report made against him. There's still no indication as to where he is currently being held and the police clerks claim they don't know. Some speculation has been made that he might be held at the Damansara Utama station since the arresting report was made there but further checks has confirmed that he wasn't.

2300 - The party adjourned to the Cybercrimes Division in Jalan Dato' Onn to get more information. Upon arrival, we find that the complex is primarily an administrative building with no lockup facilities.

2325 - A breakthrough - an anonymous tip suggests that Nat might be held at the Dang Wangi police district headquarters at Jalan HS Lee! A phone call to the station confirmed that so here we go again.

2350 - The party is now at the Jalan HS Lee station and trying to convince the head honcho there to at least allow the family to see Nat. They finally allow them to do so at 2355. After a while, they re-emerge with some news - he's in good spirits, had not yet eaten (fortunately the family brought food), was clad in an OKT (Orang Kena Tahan) orange coloured t-shirt and "kirim salam" (sends his greetings) to the 40 odd of us who were there in support of him.

Circumstances of the detention was also made clearer. Apparently, he's been charged under Section 420 of the Penal Code and was questioned about a comment left on his blog about the recent controversy surrounding the Deputy Internal Security Minister, Mohd Johari Baharum and the Inspector General of Police, Musa Hassan. Call me stupid but I really can't see anything in that blog that would warrant such an overkill.

Anyway, now that we finally got that cleared up and did our small part in reassuring Nat and his family that he won't be facing this blatant abuse of authority alone, we finally felt we could go home.

The Youth Wing of PKR had already planned to make a police report at the Dang Wangi station later today on some inconsistencies that has arisen from the Altantuya Shaaribuu murder case but with this latest harassment on a PKR member, a separate report will also be filed :

Date
Saturday, 14 July 2007

Time
11.00 am

Venue
Dang Wangi Police Station, Jalan Dang Wangi

If you're able to spare the time, do try to make it.

More up to date details ought to be available from the blog of Nat's sister, Cheryl :

• The Trial of Cheryl

And this incident has also successfully created one helluva buzz in cyberspace :

• Google's Blog Search Results : "Nat Tan"
• Google's Blog Search Results : "Nathaniel Tan"
• Technorati Search Results : "Nat Tan"
• Technorati Search Results : "Nathaniel Tan"
• Petaling Street Search Results : "Nat Tan"
• Petaling Street Search Results : "Nathaniel Tan"
• Global Voices

So much for keeping things quiet and under wraps.

Photos From The Solidarity Gathering

• My Flickr Album

Free Nat Tan Sticker Credits

• mob1900

A Little Song We Sang In Solidarity

to the tune of "Clementine"

Suara rakyat, suara rakyat, suara rakyat
Laungkan!

Kami bangun, kami bangun, kami bangun
Dan lawan!

Latest - Anwar's Statement (0350)

Statement on the detention of secretary to the President of the Foundation for the Future
July 13, 2007
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Today, Nathaniel Tan, who is my secretary as Chairman of the Foundation for the Future was detained by three plain-clothes individuals. The officers did not identify themselves or their designation but merely mentioned that they were part of the Special Branch and requested Nathaniel to follow them and bring along his laptop.

I strongly condemn the detention of Nathaniel by the Malaysian police. Nathaniel, 27, a graduate of Harvard and resident of Kuala Lumpur, has been actively involved in humanitarian and volunteer efforts in Ache, Indonesia and Sierra Leone as well as with human rights groups in Malaysia.

I want the Inspector General of Police, Tan Sri Musa Hassan to take this matter to his immediate attention and confirm where and on what grounds is Nathaniel being detained. I request that his lawyers and family members obtain immediate access to Nathaniel to ensure his well-being and safety.

ANWAR IBRAHIM
Chairman
Foundation for the Future

Footnote

I actually heard somebody ask "Where is Natalie Tan?"

Update (0446)

Some posts deserve special mention .. like the Queen's WTF post here which presented a set of pertinent questions:

1. If the police wanted to know about this alleged commentator, they could have just summoned him for a witness statement. There is no need to barge into his office at 4.30 pm, knowing full well it’s the weekend and courts are closed, and arrest him with his notebook. So why do this?
2. Furthermore, he was handcuffed and taken to his home where the police ‘arrested’ his monitor and CPU. Who on earth confiscates the monitor? (Morons)
3. Why did the police not leave their names with the office when they took Nat? Why was no receipt of the confiscated monitor and CPU left in the house?
4. A police report was apparently lodged at IPD Dang Wangi against Nat. Who lodged this report? I believe it’s someone with connections otherwise the police wouldn’t get off their fat asses, like the way they deal with regular citizen’s police reports. I have a short list of suspects and one of them is a blogger. In any case, I will hunt you down and hand you over to those who specialise in painful things. That’s what you get when you F with one of us.
5. Lastly, this thing about the blog commentator is pathetic. If you are F-king cyber-crime division, you’d know that’s not how you want to find out who the commentator is. It’s F-king stored in the server, not your home CPU or notebook, you moron.

Update (0511)

Video from Malaysiakini with responses from Tian Chua (Information Chief of PKR and our boss) and Shamsul Iskandar (Youth Chief of PKR) :