BUKIT GELUGOR As the Bukit Gelugor by-election campaign draws to a close at midnight, several DAP leaders have claimed that their mobile phones had been hacked.

Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy, who lodged a police report in Bukit Mertajam this morning, said he discovered his phone was hacked at about 9.30pm last night.

"I was around Tanjung Bungah when I received a message from an unidentified number saying: 'Remember, Malay voters of Sungai Melayu/Kampung Melayu, your stalls will be demolished after the by-election'," Ramasamy ( right ) said.

He added that he believed irresponsible people had hacked his phone and used his number to send the messages.

State executive councillor Phee Boon Poh complained about the same problem, saying he was in the Penang legislative assembly when he received a call from an unidentified number.

"When I called back, the caller asked me who I was. I told him I returned his call because he called me first," he said.

"After that I received many calls from unidentified numbers. My friend later told me that my number had sent out a message that says: MCA has admitted defeat/Gerakan Penang, when is your turn? After this we will make Penang like Singapore".

Curse of new technology

Phee, who is Sungai Puyu assemblyperson, denied ever sending such a message, saying his phone had been "intruded" into by irresponsible elements.

Another state executive councillor, Chong Eng, also claimed her phone was hacked . She reported the incident to the Bukit Mertajam police.

"I received calls from all kinds of people, unknown callers who asked me why I was sending out such messages.

"The message said: Chinese are the majority in Penang, we can progress like Singapore without the Malays or Indians, long live DAP, a party for the Chinese," she said, denying she had ever sent such messages.

Chong ( right ) said since those involved were users of Maxis and Celcom lines, they may consider switching to other companies.

"We may do so if these two companies cannot take the necessary steps to ensure phone security," said the Padang Lalang assemblyperson.

Seri Delima assemblyperson RSN Rayer who has been embroiled in a controversy for directing the word "celaka" (damned) at three Umno leaders, also hit by a similar experience.

Rayer, too, filed a police report in Jelutong that his mobile phone and facebook account had been hacked.

"I discovered it last night when I attended the DAP ceramah at the Han Chiang College Hall," he said.

"I found that my phone has been sending out racist statements but it was not me who sent them," he said.

The state assemblypersons urged anyone who received the messages to lodge police reports so that the necessary action can be taken.

The DAP has been under seige since Wednesday, when 12 men, comprising Umno and Perkasa members, forcefully barged into the state assembly building.

They were looking for Rayer, wanting to castigate him for his "celaka" utterances against Umno, as they felt he had insulted the Malays and Islam.