News of their only son's arrest had shaken them but Bob Tan and Sukumari Chitty remained a portrait of strength during last night's candlelight vigil outside the Dang Wangi police headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

The couple also said that they were "not surprised" by the incident as their son Nathaniel Tan had always fought for the 'voiceless'.

Tan, the 26-year-old webmaster of opposition party PKR, was picked up by the police on Friday. He was later remanded for four days after being suspected of breaching the Official Secrets Act (OSA).

His father said Tan, who is fondly known as Nat, always suspected that something would happen to him because of his active participation in politics.

But he never expected to be detained for breaching the OSA, he added.

"It was at the back of his mind, that something like this can happen. But he went ahead and did it anyway," he said.

"He's the gentlest person I know of ... at his age," said Sukumari. "He's very respectful, very courteous and very caring."

She also said that Tan had an affinity for "fighting for the disenfranchised, people with no voices."

Humanitarian work

Meanwhile, Bob ( left ) described his son as an avid "computer person."

Tan began active involvement with PKR since early 2003, working under current information chief Tian Chua. He formally joined the party in March this year.

Tan, who hails from Damansara Utama, attended Sunway University College where he studied for his A Levels.

He then attended Harvard College in the United States, where he graduated in 2004 with a bachelors degree in 'Special Concentration: Peace and Conflict Studies.'

He had also served on several humanitarian missions in East Timor in 2001, Sierra Leone in 2003 (on an internship programme with the United Nations) and Aceh in 2005.

"When the Aceh tragedy happened, he left his work in the (United) States. He worked there (Aceh) for four months with the Jesuit Refugee Services," said Bob.

"He was prepared to suffer privation and (is willing) to sacrifice himself for the good of others," added the stockbroker.

Tan's most recent work was editing the local bestseller Mahathir vs Abdullah: Covert Wars and Challenged Legacies published by the publishing arm of malaysiakini early this year.

He is currently also working for Anwar as his secretary in relation to the Foundation for the Future.

The close contact with humanitarian workers and party workers resulted in a motley turnout for last night's vigil.

"It's edifying to see support, a lot of people that don't even know him (are here)," said Bob.

"He cares so much for the country. He does not want to run away from the country because of the state it is in. He wanted to stay an make it a better place," added his mother ( photo ).