KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 — Red Shirts leader Datuk Seri Jamal Md Yunos is believed to have escaped last Sunday to an Indonesian island said to be an hour’s journey by boat from southern Johor, a report said today.

Jamal, who has been missing for almost a week now, is believed to have absconded to the port town of Tanjung Balai Karimun of the Karimun island in the Riau Islands province of Indonesia, local daily Sin Chew Daily cited sources as saying.

The paper said Selangor Criminal Investigation Department chief Senior Assistant Commissioner Fadzil Ahmat declined to confirm if Jamal was still in Malaysia, but said the police had today applied to the court for an arrest warrant on Jamal.

He reportedly said the police have asked the Immigration Department to blacklist Jamal from travelling, further denying that the police were acting on the Sungai Besar Umno division chief due to pressure from the new federal government.

“The police have always strictly followed the law in taking action against Jamal, and were not pressured by anyone,” he was quoted as saying by Sin Chew Daily.

He said the police will probe if Jamal had escaped due to intentional actions or negligence of the two police personnel who were guarding him at a hospital.

Investigations into Jamal and the duo will be carried out under Section 223 and Section 224 of the Penal Code, he said.

Section 223 covers the offence of a public servant causing someone to escape from confinement due to negligence.

Section 224 covers the offence of resisting or illegally obstructing one’s own lawful apprehension for any offence that he has been charged or convicted with, or escaping or attempted escape from custody. It is punishable with a jail term of up to two years or fine or both.

Yesterday, Jamal failed to show up at the Ampang Jaya district police headquarters as promised, instead releasing a video clip of himself in an oil palm plantation where he claimed to be a “victim” of alleged hidden hands plotting his downfall.

He had went missing from the Ampang Puteri Specialist Hospital last Friday afternoon, despite not having posted the RM3,000 bail for an offence he was charged with.

He was charged last Friday morning with committing public nuisance by smashing bottles of alcoholic drinks in front of the Selangor State Secretariat building in Shah Alam on October 5, but could not be found when a Shah Alam Court assistant registrar arrived on Friday afternoon at his ward to complete the bail process.

The police then launched a manhunt for Jamal in an operation called “Ops Tutup” and instructed him to return and complete the bail process.

Since going missing, Jamal had through his supporters released various press statements and audio clips, including on Sunday where he claimed he had left the hospital after believing his remand period was over.

Jamal also claimed on Sunday that he had rushed to Tabung Haji offices to withdraw money to pay for costs incurred during his remand, adding that he would cooperate with police after he had fully recovered.