KUALA LUMPUR - Faced with multiple charges over his now-defunct sex blog and controversial Hari Raya greeting involving pork dish “bak kut teh”, fugitive Malaysian blogger Alvin Tan Jye Yee said today he is seeking political asylum in the US.
Singapore media agency Channel News Asia (CNA) reported Tan as saying he is fleeing from Umno — the mainstay party of Malaysia’s ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (BN), and had applied for asylum in the US in May.
“I’m busy starting a new life here (in the US), apart from awaiting my final asylum hearing. I’m here to seek political refuge from the tyranny of Umno — simple as that,” the 26-year-old was quoted telling the Singaporean broadcaster in an interview through his personal Facebook account.
Tan said he is optimistic of his chances of being granted asylum from the US government, citing the US Department of State’s 2013 Human Rights Report on Malaysia, which he said ”explicitly cites my case as a repression of internet speech rights”.
“If all else fails, I can easily publish more ‘seditious’ materials on my Facebook to taunt the authorities and get them to be hot on the pursuit of me again, therefore creating an even more well-founded fear of political persecution to bolster my asylum claim,” he was quoted saying.
Tan and his ex-girlfriend Vivian Lee May Ling, 25, were hauled to court last July 18 and slapped with three charges, but the couple known as “Alvivi” managed to get the court to struck off a charge under Section 298A of the Penal Code.
Tan and Lee still face a charge under Section 4(1)© of the Sedition Act for publishing a seditious photograph and the words “Selamat Berbuka Puasa” (dengan Bak Kut Teh...wangi, enak, menyelerakan!) [Happy breaking fast with bak kut teh...fragrant, delicious, appetising]” on their Facebook page last July 11 that also showed a halal logo.
They are also being tried for a second remaining charge under subsection 5(1) of the Film Censorship Act 2002 for displaying pornographic images on their blog, alviviswingers.tumblr.com, between July 6 and July 7 last year.
The court had previously ordered the duo to surrender their passports and allowed them to be released on bail, but allowed them to temporarily take back their travel documents on May 18 this year to travel to Singapore to shoot a documentary.
Only Lee returned the passport on June 3, while Tan failed to show up on the scheduled date and went missing, leading the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court to issue an arrest warrant and forfeit his RM20,000 bail.
Last month, Singapore’s Straits Times reported that Tan’s lawyer, his mother and Lee had all failed to establish contact with the former law student after he disappeared.
Interpol are also reportedly on the hunt for Tan. -Malay Mail
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.