Thesun 2009-06-24 Page07 Uthaya Released With Conditions Says Dpp

theSun

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| WEDNESDAY JUNE 24 2009

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Uthaya released with conditions, says DPP KUALA LUMPUR: P. Uthayakumar’s release from Internal Security Act (ISA) detention in May was with conditions, the High Court was told yesterday. Deputy Public Prosecutor Noorin Badaruddin said the Hindraf lawyer was released subject to seven restrictions set out in the directive to suspend the detention order by the Home Ministry dated May 8. Among others, Uthayakumar was not allowed to leave the area of his residence and change his place of residence except with the Inspector-General of Police’s written permission, she said. “Therefore, if the court allows Uthayakumar’s application for the return of his travel document, it will breach the Home Ministry’s directive,” she said in objecting to Uthayakumar’s application for the return of his passport from the court to seek medical treatment abroad. Uthayakumar, who was represented by counsel N.Surendran, also sought a reduction in the RM50,000

bail imposed on him by a sessions court judge in 2007. On Dec 11, 2007, Uthayakumar, 47, pleaded not guilty in a sessions court to publishing a seditious letter on a website. The charge, under Section 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act 1948, carries a fine not exceeding RM5,000 or imprisonment up to three years or both. Surendran argued that the RM50,000 bail imposed on his client was excessive and the additional condition for his travel document to be handed over was wrong. He said no additional conditions could be imposed on Uthayakumar because the offence under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act was bailable. He said lawyer Karpal Singh had also been charged at a sessions court in March with an offence under the Act but the bail imposed was only RM2,000 and there was no additional condition. In reply, Noorin said: “It is improper to equate Karpal’s case with

that of the applicant because the facts in the two cases are different and Karpal is not under a restriction order.” Surendran, who was dissatisfied with the words “Hindraf extremist group” in the restriction directive, said: “The restrictive conditions by the Home Ministry should not be taken into account because it was made with malicious intent. In this case, the real extremists are the home minister and Barisan Nasional government!” said Uthayakumar, who arrived late for the proceedings, suddenly stood up from the public gallery and said: “Yes, Yang Arif, I never signed the document.” He was referring to the restrictive conditions. Judicial Commissioner Zainal Azman Ab Aziz then ordered Uthayakumar to sit down and reminded Surendran not to proceed with the argument touching on the issue. He fixed July 10 to deliver his decision. – Bernama

Irked by cops using CCTVs to book traffic offenders A MOVE by George Town police to book traffic offenders caught on anti-crime CCTV cameras installed in the city by the municipal council has irked the public. But police are unfazed and told those who received summonses to visit the police station for evidence of their offences if they had any doubt. “The offenders can view what has been captured by CCTVs free of charge,” said state traffic police chief ASP Wari Kiew. Some readers complained to China Press that in the past three months, traffic police had been sending out summonses to motorists without providing any proof of their offences. A motorist, identified only as Lee, said he was puzzled by a ticket for illegal parking purportedly commit-

Press Digest by Kong See Hoh

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ted in Datuk Keramat as he could not recall the incident. “I approached the traffic police to ask for proof of the offence but a policeman told me to show proof that I did not commit the offence!” he said. Contacted by the daily on Monday, Wari said the operation to book motorists for illegal parking via the municipal council CCTV cameras had in fact started a year ago. He said they can view the video recording free of charge, “but if they want printouts of their pictures, they have to pay”.

Rehda refutes Wee’s claim on land pledge REAL Estate and Housing Developers Association Malaysia (Rehda) president Datuk Ng Seing Liong has refuted Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong’s claim that some developers made empty promises to donate land for Chinese schools in their housing projects just to attract buyers. He told Nanyang Siang Pau on Monday that as far as he knew, many

developers have pledged land for Chinese schools and all of them had kept their promises. He said if Wee had indeed discovered developers using such false promises to boost sales, he should name them and the locations of the land pledged, instead of making sweeping remarks. “He (Wee) should name the developers so that we know who are irresponsible.”