Group holds solidarity gathering as 'Rebirth' editor remanded for a day

A group of some 15 to 20 people held a solidarity gathering for editor Kean Wong at the Dang Wangi police station even as he was remanded for a day over a book cover featuring a modified national coat-of-arms published three years ago.

His lawyer Ivan Teng Jun Hong told the media that Wong’s remand would be for a day.

"The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission will arrive after lunch to extract information from his email and phone.

"If this can be completed today, then it is possible that Wong might be released this evening at around 5 or 6pm.

"If not, it will be tomorrow at 12.30pm," said Teng.

Among the NGO representatives present outside Dang Wangi was Suaram executive director Sevan Doraisamy.

In a statement this morning, he denounced the arrest and overnight detention of Wong.

"It was already clarified three years ago that the image concerned was from an oil painting, which was even at one point publicly exhibited six years prior in 2014 with no issues when the BN administration was still in power.

"More importantly, the subject of alleged contention here is not even the crux of the book, ie, its content and arguments on the 2018 general election and the country’s transition to the Pakatan Harapan administration," said Sevan.

Overseas-based Malaysian book editor Wong is under probe in relation to a sedition case three years ago after he edited the controversial 2020 book ‘Rebirth: Reformasi, Resistance, And Hope in New Malaysia’.

He was arrested at the Kelana Jaya Immigration Department building yesterday morning.

It is understood that Wong landed at KLIA last week and entered the country, and sources indicated that Wong's attempt to renew his Malaysian passport could have triggered an alert in the immigration system based on a police’s "suspect list".

Intimidation tactics

Suaram's statement criticised what it called a pattern of intimidation.

"Intimidation tactics from investigations to court charges against the production of parody images are not new, with one of the more recent ones being Fahmi Reza’s arrest and detention over his ‘Sultan’ Mojo Jojo cartoon in 2022.

"Actions taken by the authorities in 2020 towards the modified coat-of-arms image, from the Gerak Budaya raid to book ban by the Home Ministry, were deplorable enough.

"Through the re-enactment of draconian tactics of arrest and detention, it is worryingly clear that we have before us a government with a precarious commitment to upholding our fundamental freedom of expression, and a police force with concerningly misplaced priorities when these resources could have been better used to deter serious crimes that jeopardise public safety.

"Equally importantly, the problematic environment in which critical debate on issues of public interest and artistic expression continue to be criminalised and censored remains intact, especially because draconian laws such as the Sedition Act remain in place," said Suaram.

Suaram called for existing laws that curtail freedom of expression including the Sedition Act and Section 233 of the Communication and Multimedia Act be repealed, with moratoria implemented pending repeal.

A group of 15 organisations and 29 individuals also made a similar call in a joint statement today.

Aside from Suaram, they included the Centre for Independent Journalism, Malaysia Design Archive, Association of Women Lawyers, Amnesty International Malaysia, Justice for Sisters, Deaf Advocacy and Well-being National Organisation, Malaysia, Aliran, Article 19, North South Initiative, Gerak, Persatuan Penulis Berbilang Bahasa, Civicus, Tenaganita and Empower.

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