by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Wednesday, March 4, 1992:
The re-arrest of Anderson Mutang Urud under the Emer¬gency Ordinance after he was released on a court bail is a gross abuse of powers by the government and a blot on the human rights record of Malaysia.
The re-arrest of Sarawak environmentalist, Anderson Mutang Urud, under the Emergency Ordinance after he was released on a court ball in Miri yesterday is a gross abuse of powers by the government and a blot on the human rights record of Malaysia.
According to New Straits Times report today, Anderson was produced and charged in the Miri
magistrate’s court, yesterday morning for managing an unlawful society called Sarawak Indigenous Peoples’ Alliance (SIPA), Anderson was charged under section 42 of the Societies Act 1966, which reads:
“Any office bearer and any person managing or assisting in the management of any unlawful society shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or both”
Anderson claimed trial, which was fixed for Sept 21, and the Miri acting magistrate, Gulam Muhiadeen bin Abdul Aziz, released Anderson on $2,000 bail in two sureties.
However, about 45 minutes after he was released by the court on bail, Anderson was re-arrested. Police later said that Anderson was being further detained under the Emergency (Public Order and Prevention of Crime) Ordinance 1969.
The world will be shocked that the police in Malaysia can defy the courts which had released Anderson on bail, by re-arresting him again. It is a gross abuse of power to re-arrest Anderson under the Emergency Ordinance for this means that Anderson would be regard¬ed under a fresh arrest order with effect from yesterday, March 3, and not from Feb 5.
Malaysia’s international reputation for the rule of law will not be enhanced by the gross abuse of powers in the re-arrest of Anderson, and DAP calls on the Government to immediately release Anderson and allow the court to decide whether he had committed any offence under the Societies Act in the trial on Sept 21.