KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 29 ― Already deemed a fugitive for skipping town and violating his bail terms, Malaysian sex blogger Alvin Tan is now facing yet another probe under the Sedition Act back home ― this time for criticising the country's leaders on Facebook.
According to Astro Awani, Deputy Federal CID chief Deputy Comm Datuk Amar Singh confirmed today that Tan is being investigated under the 1948 law for criticising, among others, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar and Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
“Members of the public have lodged reports against Alvin Tan. Upon this, we initiated an investigation under the Sedition Act,” DCP Amar was quoted saying by the news portal.
Asked how the authorities plan to bring Tan, who is now believed to be in the United States, back to Malaysia to face his charges, DCP Amar said: “Let us complete the investigation first. Then, we will liaise with the Attorney General’s department to decide the next course of action.”
Tan, who is now seeking asylum in the US purportedly to escape Umno, recently took to Facebook to vent his frustrations against the government's recent sedition crackdown on dissenters.
The controversial sex blogger also referred to IGP Khalid as the German nazi commander Heinrich Himmler and said Zahid was “the closest thing to true evil”.
A Twitter user was charged earlier this month under the Penal Code for “deliberately humiliating and provoking” Khalid when he too likened the IGP to Himmler.
Yesterday, IGP Khalid vowed to search every “wormhole” for Tan until the blogger is found, saying the youth’s repeated insults against the authorities on social media is “unforgivable”.
Tan, the fugitive Malaysian blogger slapped with multiple charges over his now-defunct sex blog and controversial Hari Raya greeting involving pork dish “bak kut teh”, resurfaced in cyberspace recently, saying that he is now seeking political asylum in the US.
Singapore media agency Channel News Asia (CNA) reported Tan as saying he is fleeing from Umno — the mainstay party of Malaysia’s ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (BN), and had applied for asylum in the US in May.
Tan and his ex-girlfriend Vivian Lee May Ling, 25, were hauled to court last July 18 and slapped with three charges, but the couple known as “Alvivi” managed to get the court to struck off a charge under Section 298A of the Penal Code.
Tan and Lee still face a charge under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act for publishing a seditious photograph and the words “Selamat Berbuka Puasa” (dengan Bak Kut Teh...wangi, enak, menyelerakan!) [Happy breaking fast with bak kut teh...fragrant, delicious, appetising]” on their Facebook page last July 11 that also showed a halal logo.
They are also being tried for a second remaining charge under subsection 5(1) of the Film Censorship Act 2002 for displaying pornographic images on their blog, alviviswingers.tumblr.com, between July 6 and July 7 last year.
The court had previously ordered the duo to surrender their passports and allowed them to be released on bail, but allowed them to temporarily take back their travel documents on May 18 this year to travel to Singapore to shoot a documentary.
Only Lee returned the passport on June 3, while Tan failed to show up on the scheduled date and went missing, leading the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court to issue an arrest warrant and forfeit his RM20,000 bail.
Interpol are also reportedly on the hunt for Tan.
