KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian blogger was arrested by police late on Wednesday for allegedly insulting the country's royalty. The resulting arrest has left netizens flustered over the crackdown on free speech in the country. “It is wrong that he was arrested for something he said and he should be released immediately,” one blogger told Bikyamasr.com, adding that “since when does the royal family care about what people say. Most people love them.” The blogger, Syed Abdullah Syed Hussein Al-Attas was arrested at a toll station in the central Sembilan state after police reports had been filed against him for postings he made concerning the Sultan of southern Johor state. It is a crime to insult Malaysian royalty, even though their actually power is largely ceremonial, but much of the population still holds them in high esteem. Johor police said in a statement that Syed Abdullah was being “investigated under the Official Secrets Act for revealing secret information.” He will be held until at least Sunday, according to a court order, but could remain in detention longer as investigations take place. Police refused to elaborate on what exactly the blogger wrote that caused the lawsuit to be filed. Abdullah could face as many as 7 years in prison if convicted and given the full sentence allowed by the court. Syed Abdullah, 46, blogs under the name “Uncle Seekers” and is reportedly a paranormal practitioner. Press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders has condemned Syed Abdullah's arrest, saying it was “very disturbed” by it. “Syed Abdullah's arrest is unacceptable,” the Paris-based group said in a statement Thursday. “Government officials should not, under any circumstances, be able to use state secrets as a pretext for putting themselves above the law and flouting the fundamental right to information,” it added.
