Opposition figure Tian Chua has defended a picture in his blog which features Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak dining with political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda and an unidentified woman.

Chua said the picture was meant to be a tongue-in-cheek response to the circumstances surrounding the testimony of Burmaa Oyunchimeg, 26, during the ongoing murder trial of Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibuu.

Burmaa, the sixth prosecution witness testified in the Shah Alam High Court that she was once shown a picture by the murder victim of the latter having dinner in Paris with Abdul Razak and one Malaysian government official known only as "Najib Razak".

This had sparked speculations that "Najib Razak" was in fact the deputy premier and defence minister, who had reportedly been to France to oversee the purchase of three submarines .

In his blog post titled 'French dinner for 3' , Chua wrote about Najib's previous repeated denials of knowing Altantuya, which was posted along with the badly super-imposed picture which he composed.

"It was deliberately done 'Monty Python' style," said Chua, adding that satirical works had been used throughout history as social commentary.

"When we suggest a French dinner for three with Najib in the picture, why do we conclude that the woman is Altantuya?" he added.

He also denied having accused Najib of being the "Najib Razak" as mentioned in Burmaa's testimony.

Public interest

He said Najib had the right to have a private dinner with anyone, but the murder trial involves aspects of public interest such as the role of Abdul Razak, who is the third accused and Najib's confidant.

Chua added that he is not responsible for the dissemination of the pictures of the assumptions made by the individuals who had viewed it.

"I had never suggested (in my blog) that it is the (exact) photo that was mentioned during the trial," said Chua, who is PKR information chief, when met at the party headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

The matter had sparked angry responses from Barisan Nasional MPs in the Parliament lobby yesterday. They had dubbed Chua's blog post as "cheap politics". There were also calls for Chua to be subject to legal action.

Numerous blogs owners have also condemned Tian Chua's antics.

In response, Chua said that it was "an honour" to have sparked the debate in Parliament because previously, he claimed there was attempts by certain quarters and the media to downplay Najib's link in the trial.

He also brushed aside calls for him to be subject to legal action as he considered the picture in question to be 'art'.

Chua also called on Najib to go to court to expunge the photo and make it a public document to sooth speculations.

Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri, 30, and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, 35, are charged with the murder of Altantuya while Abdul Razak, 47, is charged with abetting them.

Both the policemen are part of a special team meant to protect the prime minister and his deputy.

All three face the death penalty if found guilty.