KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 23 — Seputeh MP Teresa Kok has demanded that Selangor PAS Youth chief Syarhan Humaizi Abdul Halim issue an apology and pay RM30 million in damages over defamatory articles which alleged that she was anti-Islam.

A letter from Kok’s lawyers today demanded that Syarhan Humaizi publicly apologise within seven days and retract the defamatory articles or face legal action.

The primary industries minister said Syarhan Humaizi had in his personal Facebook page on January 19 purportedly defamed her by falsely painting her as, among others, being against Islam, racist, unethical, extremist and dishonest as a minister.

In a legal letter sent to Syarhan Humaizi, he was alleged to have drawn reference to his January 19 article from another online news article dated January 12 published by Malaysia Today which made direct reference to Kok.

Kok claimed that Syarhan Humaizi’s republished remarks were motivated by malicious intentions and allegedly done to "gain cheap publicity and political mileage”, as well as to allegedly "tarnish her good name and character”.

She is seeking damages and compensation from Syarhan Humaizi for tarnishing her reputation and causing her distress, as well as an immediate retraction of the said defamatory articles that were published in the public domain.

Lawyer Sankara Nair representing Kok confirmed a letter of demand for a public apology was sent to Syarhan Humaizi today.