A group of 'reformasi' activists today departed from their traditional clarion calls to chant ' Hidup Pak Lah ' (Long live Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) outside the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court today.

The 10-odd activists had gathered outside the court to express their support for the action taken against business tycoon Eric Chia, who was arrested yesterday and charged this morning with criminal breach of trust.

They also chanted their familiar 'reformasi' slogans and carried placards that read ' Hidup Badan Pencegah Rasuah ' (Long live the Anti-Corruption Agency), ' Bila nak tangkap Mahathir ' (When will Mahathir be arrested) and ' Samy Maika Tangkap ' (Arrest Samy).

Their spokesperson, former Internal Security Act (ISA) detainee Hishammuddin Rais said only time will tell if Abdullah is keen on battling corruption or if this is merely an election ploy.

"We congratulate the ACA. We think this is a very positive step by the authorities, which was long overdue. Hopefully we will see a new future with more arrests," he added when met.

Chia, 71, was the managing director of Perwaja Steel and a close associate of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

He was charged under Section 409 of the Penal Code for allegedly channelling funds - worth RM76.4 million - from Perwaja to a non-existent company.

If found guilty, he can be sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in jail, whipping and fine. He has pleaded not guilty and is currently out on a RM2 million bail.

Probe others

Meanwhile, Keadilan president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said there should be more arrests if the prime minister intends to prove that it is not a political gimmick.

"If the prime minister is sincere about fighting corruption, he should be brave enough to arrest and charge (International Trade and Industry Minister) Rafidah Aziz and (former Malacca chief minister) Rahim Tamby Chik...since ACA investigations into the both of them have been completed," she said in a statement.

She also proposed that authorities begin investigations against Mahathir for allegedly delaying investigations and attempting to provide protection to Chia.

According to her, other leaders who should be probed are Information Minister Khalil Yaakob and Works Minister S Samy Vellu.

The Keadilan leader also stressed that the business tycoon's arrest should not be an attempt to divert public attention from the controversy surrounding Abdullah's son, Kamaluddin.

Kamaluddin is the largest shareholder of Scomi Precision Engineering (Scope), a company recently implicated by British and American intelligence for supplying centrifuge components for Libya's nuclear weapons programme.

However, Malaysian authorities have said that initial investigations show that the company did not commit any offence.