GEORGE TOWN, Sept 26 — Penang state government is offering legal assistance to one of the duo stopped by the police at the Penang International Airport two days ago for having memorabilia of former communist leader Chin Peng with him.
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the state government is willing to offer the Penang resident legal assistance if he needed it with regards to this case.
“The men were not detained but all the same, they were stopped at the airport and taken in for questioning even when they’ve not done anything wrong,” he said in a press conference today.
On Tuesday night, the police stopped two men who had just arrived on a flight from Bangkok at the airport and took them to the Bayan Baru police station for questioning.
The men, one from Penang and the other a Hong Kong citizen, had with them booklets, trinkets, a cap and VCDs about the recently deceased former Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) secretary-general Chin Peng.
They were initially suspected of smuggling in Chin Peng’s ashes but none were found in their luggage.
Both men were released at about 3am the next day after having their statements taken at the police station.
“We are very concerned with this whole atmosphere of this issue,” Lim said today.
While not blaming the police for “doing their jobs as per orders from the Home Ministry”, Lim said it was not right to stop the duo and question them over the items.
“With the Umno party elections coming up, we never know what may develop from this so we are first offering legal assistance to the Penangite if he needed it, regardless of his background,” he said.
He said the state government can only offer assistance to Penang residents so it is not offering any assistance to the Hong Kong citizen.
“Even though he is related to a former Barisan Nasional MP, we are still offering this legal assistance because he is a Penangite and we take care of all Penang citizens,” he added.
Chin Peng’s body was cremated at the Bangkok Wat That Thong temple in Bangkok at about 6pm on Monday.
He had reportedly died in a Bangkok hospital on September 16.
