KUALA LUMPUR: Police have opened an investigation paper against a correspondent for the South China Morning Post over her news report of Malaysian authorities arresting undocumented migrants during a raid.
Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director Datuk Huzir Mohamed said the police will continue their probe against South China Morning Post news correspondent Tashny Sukumaran.
"We will probe the matter. In fact, we have opened an investigation paper against her," Huzir said in a press conference today.
Earlier today, Tashny posted on her Twitter account that she has been called by the police to give her statement over her news reports on the raid.
"Happy World Press Freedom Day! I have been summoned to Bukit Aman this Wednesday for questioning over my reporting of the immigration raid on the downtown Kuala Lumpur red zone on #MayDay (May 1).
"According to the police, I am being investigated under Section 504 of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act," she wrote.
Section 504 of the Penal Code is for intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of the peace. Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act is for improper use of network facilities or network service.
On May 1, South China Morning Post published an article by Tashny and her colleagues, titled, "Coronavirus: Hundreds arrested as Malaysia cracks down on migrants in Covid-19 red zones."
The article quoted human rights activists as saying that the recent raid at the Masjid India area here would prevent illegal immigrants from coming out to be properly tested for Covid-19, as they would fear being deported.
The article also questioned the need for such a large-scale raid, as the Malaysian government had previously assured that no action would be taken against those without documents throughout the exercise to conduct Covid-19 tests.
On a separate issue, Huzir said the daughter of Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Datuk Nurul Hidayah, and her husband will be charged at the Kuala Lumpur Court for breaching the Movement Control Order (MCO).
He said the prosecution process will begin after approval is obtained from the Attorney General's Chambers.
Nurul Hidayah was reported to have flouted the MCO when she posted on social media photographs of herself and her husband meeting a minister and a deputy minister at their offices for matters not yet known.
Despite her postings showing social distancing practices, it received heavy criticism from the public.