Even as news circulates of the impending release of blogger Nathaniel Tan , individuals and civil society groups continue to pressure the government to ensure there is no further delay.

Tan, 26, was detained last Friday and has been held in remand since Saturday to facilitate investigations into alleged breach of the Official Secrets Act for a comment left on his blog site.

DAP leader Lim Kit Siang urged Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to oversee a change from the policy of "arrest, then investigate" to one of strict adherence to "investigate, then arrest".

"Abdullah should order the immediate release of Tan to send a clear message that his administration and the police under his watch respect human rights, one of the three core functions delineated by the Royal Police Commission in its report," said Lim.

Referring to the reason cited for questioning, Lim said a full and thorough investigation should be conducted to find out who is responsible for the posting linking corruption allegations with Deputy Internal Security Minister Mohd Johari Baharum.

He said Johari is not the only one who wants to know the source of the anonymous website.

"But leave Tan alone, as nobody seriously suggests that (he) is responsible for the anonymous website. The arrest is not to find out the person or persons behind the anonymous website, but has an ulterior motive," he claimed.

Lim added that Tan's detention would be regarded as highly intimidatory in relation to expressions of dissent.

'Worse repression'

The South East Asian Press Alliance (Seapa) echoed the concerns of partner organisation the Centre for Independent Journalism that the arrest may be symptomatic of an emerging clampdown on online expression in Malaysia.

"This year alone, two bloggers and one news site have been sued for defamation and a task force has been set up to look at how existing laws can be used to circumvent Malaysia's Bill of Guarantees against Internet censorship," it said.

Reporters without Borders also called for the immediate release of Tan, describing the arrest as "arbitrary".

"By arresting him, the authorities are trying to intimidate Malaysian Internet users and get them to censor themselves. Until now, they had limited themselves to threats and abusive prosecutions. Now they have gone further and have adopted a more radical form of repression."

Malaysian Bar Council president Ambiga Sreenevasan, condemned the manner in which Tan was taken from his office in Petaling Jaya.

"He was taken in handcuffs, with very little or delayed information given to his family as to his whereabouts and why he was arrested," she said

She added that it is a matter of great concern that it was only after a police report was lodged that the police confirmed that Tan was in their custody.

"That the police have a right to question Tan is not denied, but such questioning can take place without the necessity of a remand order or handcuffs, while simultaneously affording him all of his rights including right of full and unhindered access to a legal counsel," she said.

The council, too, demanded Tan's immediate release.