breaking news Malaysia Today news portal webmaster Raja Petra Kamarudin has agreed to post bail after meeting his wife Marina Lee Abdullah at the Sungai Buloh prison this morning.

raja petra 080508 marina lee and lawyer j chandra 02 Following this, just after the lunch-hour break, Marina, with the help of Raja Petra's lawyer J Chandra posted bail at the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court.

Chandra however said that although the bail money has been paid to the court, it would be only tomorrow before Raja Petra was allowed to leave the Sungai Buloh prison.

"Bail release takes 24 hours. Judge Nurmala Salim won't make any exception in our case," he told reporters after meeting the judge in chambers.

He added that Raja Petra could be released anytime after 9am tomorrow.

Meanwhile Marina also said that she spoke to Raja Petra this morning.

"He said he has broken his hunger strike and I believe him," she said.

Order to produce

Earlier, Chandra explained on the procedure that would have to be followed for Raja Petra to be released following the bail posting.

He said that after showing proof that Marina had paid the RM5,000 bail through a bank to the court, the judge will then issue the 'order to produce' (OTP) to allow the Sungai Buloh prison department to release Raja Petra.

"The OTP will be sent by hand by the police," said Chandra.

"Normally this process takes one day, but we are trying to expedite (the release). We are confident that our client will be released today," he had said this morning.

raja petra court case 060508 stumped Raja Petra, who has been charged for sedition, had opted to go to prison instead of paying the RM5,000 bail two days ago, which he said he could not afford.

Hearing has been fixed from Oct 6 to 10 and Raja Petra would have to remain in custody until the hearing date in five months' time should he decide not to post bail.

Yesterday, he refused to meet everyone , including his wife, and was said to have gone on a hunger strike.

Marina had gone to the Sungai Buloh prison to meet her husband yesterday morning to ask him if he would want to post bail after having raised RM35,000 from well-wishers.

However, she was told by the prison warden that Raja Petra did not want to see anybody, including her, and had also refused to eat.

Marina was finally able to meet her husband today.

Charged for sedition

Raja Petra was charged on Tuesday with sedition at the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court over an article which he wrote in his website.

The article allegedly implied that Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his wife of being involved in the killing of a young Mongolian woman.

Raja Petra claimed trial to the charge. He was charged under Section 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act for publishing seditious article on April 25 on Malaysia Today .

He is the first blogger to be charged for sedition in Malaysia.

Candlelight vigil

raja petra candlelight vigil 070508 banner Meanwhile, some 150 people held a nearly two-hour long candlelight vigil outside the Sungai Buloh prison last night, calling for the charge against Raja Petra be dropped and that he be immediately released.

The crowd which began gathering from 9pm, comprised of individuals and several notable bloggers who chanted slogans calling for Raja Petra's release and carried three large banners which read "Justice for ALL... tantuya".

Marina appeared at the scene at about 10.15pm and addressed the crowd through a loud-hailer. Her voice was filled with emotions and she tried to hold back her tears as she thanked the crowd.

raja petra candlelight vigil 070508 aic supporters "I will always support Raja Petra. I hope that the two of us can see this through," she said.

At about 10.45pm, the crowd dispersed on its own. Some 50 police personnel did not disturb the proceedings and were seen diligently ensuring a smooth traffic flow.

A similar vigil is expected to be held tonight at Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur.

Watch 2-min video on the candlelight vigil