The Malaysian wife of Burmese journalist Ko Minn Kyaw Minn, who was allegedly 'abducted' this morning, lodged a police report at the Kajang police station at 2pm on the incident.

"The police asked me a lot of questions and have said that this is a 'tricky' case but I am giving them my full co-operation," Yassra Sahril told malaysiakini.

Investigation officer Jamal Ahmad confirmed that the report was lodged and said that investigations were underway.

However, he declined to comment on Yassra's allegation that Special Branch personnel were behind the alleged abduction. Kajang district police chief Jingkoi Seman Pancras is currently on leave.

Contacted this evening, Myint Thein Win, the second secretary in the Burmese Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, said he was unaware of the incident, but that he would check on this.

In the 9.30am incident, Minn Kyaw, 26, and Yassra were driving along the North Klang Valley Expressway, when their car was forced off the road by two vehicles.

They were on their way to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport to cover the arrival of Burmese Prime Minister Gen Khin Nyunt ( photo ).

According to Yassra, three men then alighted and dragged her husband out of their car.

"A man just forced open our car door and shouted 'we want Minn Kyaw'," she said.

"This man who was quite big and looking like a 'bouncer', dragged my husband out of the car, handcuffed him and covered his face with a hood."

Yassra said she later received a phone call from an unidentified person warning her not to lodge a police report. She claimed the caller's voice sounded similar to that of one of the abductors.

She also alleged that the 'abduction' could be the work of the Special Branch as her husband, a mandate refugee, has been a social activist in Burma.

'Preventive measure'

In a related development, human rights organisation Suaram has called on the police commission and the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) to act on the matter.

Suaram said it believes that the activist was arrested as a "preventive measure" in order to prevent any untoward incidents during the Burmese premier's one-day visit.

"Suaram is concerned over his safety and urges (Suhakam and the police commission) to expedite investigations into why he was arrested, which law was he arrested under and his whereabouts," it said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Human Rights Society of Malaysia (Hakam) spokesperson K Shan urged the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to intervene.

He said Minn Kyaw was a mandate refugee and the Malaysian government, if involved, should release him to UNHCR immediately.

Minn Kyaw is a social activist with UN refugee status in Malaysia. He is the editor of fortnightly magazine Burma Media Link which supports detained democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi. He is also the Malaysian correspondent for the Burmese news website bma-online .