Home Ministry parliamentary secretary Abu Zahar Isnin caused a furore among DAP women MPs in the Dewan Rakyat today when he cast aspersions on the character of the 13-year-old girl who was allegedly raped while in police custody during the deportation of illegal immigrants from Sabah.

In answering a supplementary question from Mohd Ali Hassan (Barisan Nasional-Tebrau) on the government's reaction if the Philippines refused to apologise, Abu Zahar said: "We (the Malaysian authorities) have investigated and found that the girl is not of a good character.

"When she was arrested and put in the detention camp, she could not produce any document."

The girl, who was initially believed to be a Filipina, was alleged to have been raped by Malaysian police while in detention before being deported to the Philippines during the Ops Nyah II last August.

Manila had demanded an apology for the incident, until it was discovered recently that the girl was a mistakenly deported Malaysian.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad yesterday wanted an apology in turn, but his demand was rejected by the Philippine government.

No malice

Abu Zahar told the Dewan Rakyat that the Philippines must apologise over the 'wrong accusation', which he said had tarnished Malaysia's image as well as the bilateral relations between the two countries.

His answer did not go down well with women MPs from DAP, particularly Chong Eng (DAP-Bukit Mertajam).

Chong accused Abu Zahar of trying to "justify" the alleged rape by blaming it on the girl's "not good character".

When informed outside the Dewan Rakyat that the opposition MPs will be organising a media conference about this, Abu Zahar said he meant no malice in his remarks.

"I wasn't making a prejudiced assumption. I had read it in the newspapers, I think it was the New Straits Times , which got it from a Philippine source."

Abu Zahar also lashed out at Philippine media for trying to capitalise on the issue, seemingly to discredit the Malaysian government.

To the charge that it is wrong to rape anyone regardless of his or her character, the former Melaka chief minister replied: "There must be a lead to why she (the 13-year-old girl) was raped".

Abu Zahar said the girl was earlier categorised as an illegal immigrant as she had failed to identify herself as Malaysian when detained with other illegal immigrants in Menggatal, Sabah.

Asked whether the Malaysian government should apologise to the girl for wrongly deporting her, Abu Zahar said: "We can arrest her instead as she had failed to produce documents that she is a Malaysian."

Strongest protest

At a media conference later, DAP's Chong said the DAP MPs were shocked by Abu Zahar's remarks.

"We want to put on record our strongest protest to such an irresponsible view from a top government official which only shows his utter ignorance of rape laws in the country. This male chauvinistic view should be condemned," she said.

Chong stressed that the nationality of the girl with allegedly "not good character" is not the point here.

"The fact that the issue is now a bilateral political tiff between Malaysia and the Phillippines should not prevent the administration of justice to this girl," added Chong, who was accompanied by fellow DAP MPs Teresa Kok (Seputeh) and Fong Po Kuan (Batu Gajah).

She also urged the attorney-general to prosecute soon the police personnel involved in the alleged crime which took place in a government facility.