The police should apologise to online daily malaysiakini for the Jan 20 raid and the seizure of 19 computers from its office in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, said DAP chairperson Lim Kit Siang today.

He said attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail ( photo, right ) should instruct the police to do so to rectify the tattered image of the government due to the police high-handedness.

"He should take a leaf out of the Indonesian example and instruct the police to publicly apologise," said the veteran politician in a press statement today.

Lim was referring to an order by a Jakarta district court judge on Monday to several senior Indonesian police officers, including national police chief Da'i Bachtiar, to publicly apologise for not stopping a frenzy mob from assaulting journalists from popular news magazine Tempo in March.

The police were accused of turning a blind eye during a protest against Tempo by 100 supporters of a business tycoon on March 8.

Justice Iskandar Tjakke, who heard a law suit brought by a journalist organisation, ruled that the apology should be published in several print and electronic media. He gave the police 14 days to issue the apology.

Send clear message

Lim said Abdul Gani should emulate this as such an apology can "rectify the adverse national and international image of government high-handedness against freedom of expression".

He also urged the AG to close the case against the online daily, which became the target of a police investigation for publishing an allegedly 'seditious' letter.

"By closing the case against malaysiakini , Abdul Gani can send a clear message to the police and the society that his chambers will not only uphold the government's guarantee of no Internet censorship, but also will protect the press and information freedom," he stressed.

The police raided the online daily's office after Umno Youth lodged a report over the letter which criticised government policies favouring Malay Malaysians..

The computers were seized after malaysiakini editor-in-chief Steven Gan refused to disclose the identity of the letter writer. Seventeen were later returned in stages.

The police also recorded statements from Gan and several editorial staff.

File with AG

On Monday, the Parliament was told that the police have concluded their investigation and the findings have been submitted to the AG's Chambers for further action.

Home Ministry Parliamentary Secretary Abu Zahar Isnin told the House that the police have recorded statements from 20 witnesses and were keeping the remaining two malaysiakini servers in case the matter comes to court..

The police raid was roundly condemned by various local and international organisations and individuals.

Following Abu Zahar's disclosure, US-based Human Rights Watch urged the government to drop its case against the online daily

Click here for more on the Jan 20 police raid on malaysiakini .