KOTA KINABALU - Sabah police have identified a wheelchair-bound woman in the UK as the person behind a secessionist group here, and are confident of getting her for a sedition investigation despite not being able to extradite.
State police commissioner Datuk Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman said his force tried contacting a Sabahan woman who goes by the name Doris Jones to facilitate investigations for the Sabah Sarawak Keluar Malaysia Facebook group but to no avail.
But he expressed belief that this will not frustrate the sedition investigation.
“We have tried our best to interview and contact her, but we couldn’t get her. But leave it to us, we have our procedure,” he said when asked how they were going to call her in for questioning.
He did not elaborate on what this “procedure” entailed, but Malaysian authorities will not be able to extradite her for the offence as the UK abolished laws against sedition in 2010.
On Sept 2, a police report was lodged against SSKM accusing it of spreading extreme racial sentiments and secession through its videos and social media. More have since been filed.
“We have received some 12 reports regarding the SSKM group since then, some reporting against, some in support of it, and other denying allegations. The people are from different sides, and we will look into all of it.
“We will make arrests if there is any prima facie. We have no choice,” said Jalaluddin who declined to reveal how many people they have interviewed and are investigating.
He was speaking to reporters after attending the monthly police assembly here.
He also said police have set up a special task force, which meets twice a week, to discuss movements of such groups and planned assemblies including any for the upcoming Malaysia Day.
When contacted by Malay Mail Online, Jones said she has not been contacted by the police here, and that she would not hide from them.
“Why should I avoid them? It is their right to do so and I am waiting for them here in the UK, if they dare,” she said.
Jones, a UK-based lawyer, is believed to be suffering from a neurological movement disorder and is wheelchair-bound.
Her controversial postings on secession and campaigns via social media pages and Youtube have drawn support and criticism in equal measure.
The SSKM Facebook page has jumped from 900 over “likes” to more than 5,300 in the last 10 days. A SSKM “closed group” has over 16,200 members, including a state minister, former chief minister and journalists.
Following the report, Jones as a “spokesperson” for the group said they were “nationalists” ready to defend themselves in court and stressed that they were not using any form of violence and aimed to achieve its goals through legal means.
Sabah CID chief Senior Asst Comm Salehhudin Abdul Rahman yesterday had said police were working with the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission in the case.
Earlier, Jalaluddin also warned policemen not to be swayed by the groups calling for secession and to be steadfast and objective in carrying out their duties.
“We have safety and security issues to deal with here in Sabah, and we cannot be influenced by those trying to incite sentiments. Know your history and facts and do not be swayed,” he said.
He said regardless of the discussions on the formation of Malaysia and the dissatisfaction of the 20 point agreement, the constitution has declared Sabah and Sarawak equal with 11 other States and there was no need to separate. -Malay Mail
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.