Cops seek Interpol manhunt for RPK (Raja Petra)

Tuesday May 26, 2009 Malaysia Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, May 26 – Malaysian police are now seeking the help of Interpol to apprehend fugitive blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said today in the first official acknowledgement that RPK has fled the country.

RPK, as he is popularly known, went on the lam last month when he failed to turn up for his sedition trial. Today a second warrant of arrest was issued against him for failing to turn up for his criminal defamation trial.

Despite being a fugitive, RPK continues to taunt the authorities and remains a thorn in the side of the administration of Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Both his sedition and criminal defamation trials are related to his allegations that Najib was involved in the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu, the former mistress of the prime minister’s associate.

RPK continues to write regularly on his Malaysia Today website, giving his take on political developments and criticising the police and the Barisan Nasional (BN) government.

Since skipping trial, the blogger who remains hugely popular has also been engaging in a war with some of his fellow bloggers. He has been attacking several bloggers whom he had once been friendly with, identifying them as pro-Barisan Nasional bloggers.

According to a recent news report, police here believe RPK is now in Brisbane, Australia, together with his wife.

Besides the latest arrest warrant issued today, Sessions Court judge Mohamad Sekeri Mamat also issued a show-cause notice to RPK’s wife, Marina Lee Abdullah, as his bailor for not being in court as well.

Raja Petra, 59, had on July 17 last year claimed trial to three counts of criminal defamation over his statutory declaration on the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu.

He is alleged to have defamed Najib’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor by claiming she was involved in the murder.

RPK has claimed through his website that he would not be attending the trials as he fears being arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

Comment: The news really strikes one's mind as to the role and interest of Interpol. Here are the main functions of this international body taken from the website, http://www.interpol.int/. 1. Tackling the growing problem of drug abuse and trafficking, often linked to other crimes. 2. Tracing fugitives, who threaten public safety and undermine criminal justice systems. 3. Countering terrorism, which threatens public safety and world security. 4. Fighting abuse and exploitation of people, which breach human rights and destroy lives. 5. 'Working together towards a corruption-free world by promoting and defending integrity, justice and the rule of law.’ It is very much doubtful that Interpol is interested in getting RPK after studying his case. The more they study the case, the more they will realise that a different person should be hunted, I'm afraid... I think taking the case to them would only tarnish Malaysia's image as a different picture may emerge. It would be very exciting to see what would unravel if he is taken to court. I wonder if this is only a threat.., pressure,.. or a clumsy choice of action. :)

There Comes RPK Again...!!!

RPK reveals his 'source' on Altantuya allegations
May 5, 09 6:34pm Malaysiakini.com

Popular blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin, in a posting today, revealed what he claimed was his source for his sensational allegation that Malaysia’s first lady Rosmah Mansor was at the scene when a Mongolian woman was murdered.

According to Raja Petra, the information came from Lt Kol Azmi Zainal Abidin, who is the "number two in the Special Branch of the Military Intelligence". In a posting which appeared in Raja Petra’s Malaysia Today website, the controversial blogger said he was put in touch with Lt Kol Azmi by one of his long-standing friends - Nik Azmi Nik Daud, who is an aide to Umno veteran leader Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. Raja Petra’s revelations were made in his trademark colourful style in the form of a dialogue between him and his police interrogators when he was detained under the Internal Security Act last August.

When asked by his interrogators whether he could trust his source since he did not know him, Raja Petra reportedly answered: “I don’t know him well enough to trust him all the way. But the person who introduced us is a very old friend. “I’ve known him for about 45 years, longer than I’ve known my wife. And I trust my friend. My friend gave me his personal assurance that the story is legit.” According to Raja Petra, he had also sought help from a few other people to vouch for Lt Kol Azmi’s credibility, among them PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim through his aide, Din Merican.

“I also asked John Pang, who also works for Ku Li (Tengku Razaleigh), to check with Ku Li whether Lt Kol Azmi’s information is reliable. I told John what Lt Kol Azmi told us and asked him to inform Ku Li about it. John confirmed that Lt Kol Azmi told Ku Li the same thing and that the information is reliable.” Pang, who is an aide to Razaleigh, said he did receive a phone call from Raja Petra regarding the matter.

“Yes, Raja Petra did ask me about it and I confirmed that Ku Li was aware of the story,” said Pang when contacted today.He added that his boss did not dispute Raja Petra’s account pertaining to his contact with Lt Kol Azmi. Razaleigh has declined to comment apart from saying, “Read the (Raja Petra’s) blog.” According to Pang, Nik Azmi is not an official member of Razaleigh's staff.

Misgivings in signing statutory declaration Raja Petra also revealed that he had misgivings in signing a statutory declaration based on the information which he received from Lt Kol Azmi. “I told Bull (Nik Azmi) I was a bit worried about signing a statutory declaration because the government will surely arrest and charge me if I do. I felt an article would be safer. “But Bull disagreed. He felt an article was not strong enough. Bull said if anything happens to me they would go to court to testify that what I had signed is the truth. Bull assured me they would not allow me to rot in jail. So, on June 18 (2008), I signed the statutory declaration.”

Raja Petra, 59, has been charged for criminal defamation in a statutory declaration which he signed implicating Rosmah, who is wife of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, and two others in the grisly murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu in 2006. He has also charged with sedition for his posting ‘Let’s send Altantuya murderers to hell’, but he failed to turn up in court last month. Sessions judge Rozina Ayob had subsequently issued an arrest warrant for Raja Petra.

Now a fugitive, Raja Petra’s whereabouts is unknown. Raja Petra also claimed that former minister Jamaluddin Jarjis, who is from Najib’s home state of Pahang, had contacted him to “make a deal”. “We drove to a roadside stall in Jalan Ipoh (in Kuala Lumpur) and sat there and talked. JJ (Jamaluddin Jarjis) told me that Najib had asked him to meet me to make a deal. I asked him whether Najib really knows we are meeting and whether he had endorsed or sanctioned the meeting and JJ replied that our meeting was on Najib’s instructions,” Raja Petra allegedly told his interrogators. “We spent about an hour talking.

The bottom line is he wanted me to stop writing about Najib and Altantuya. He also asked me whether I could delay my sedition trial until Najib becomes the prime minister. Once Najib is installed as prime minister, they will drop the charges against me. I will also receive a monthly allowance of RM30,000 for my cooperation. He didn’t say for how long though.”

Raja Petra said that he did not make the deal and soon after he signed the statutory declaration. Meanwhile, veteran opposition leader Lim Kit Siang said that Raja Petra’s latest revelation has again show the urgent need for a royal commission to probe the scandal. “I had repeatedly made in Parliament for a royal commission of inquiry to deal with all the allegations haunting and hounding Najib, especially as he had said that he was innocent and had not done anything wrong,” he said. Raja Petra's statutory declaration

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