Nat: What *YOU* can do to help July 14, 2007
Posted by elizabethwong in Current Affairs, Democracy, Human Rights, Malaysia, Politics.trackback
(poster by Mob’s Crib)
(Update: Please see this Malaysiakini video on the vigil)
Nat Tan was arrested at around 4.30 pm on Friday the 13th.
He was considered ‘missing’ for almost 6 hours, until the police finally admitted they had him in their custody. That’s six whole hours of running around in my heels and drowning in my worst possible fears.
On Saturday, the police will either free him by 4.30 pm or, a magistrate will be brought in / or he will be brought to a magistrate where Nat could be remanded up to 10 days.
The latter option isn’t good. Human rights groups have no problems with the police needing time for investigation, but for non-threatening, non-serious crimes being investigated, we are against remand and detention as they are unnecessary and proven to be used as a form of vendetta against socio-political activists.
There was once a blogger, Mack Zul, who blogged on Michael Soosai – a case which has the police looking mighty corrupt. He was contacted by the Cyber-crime Division and a couple of fellas went to have a friendly chat about internet and blogging. Nat can talk til the cops’ ears bleed about the internet, but did they accord him the same courtesy?
And have you ever seen a BN politician or a cop arrested and remanded for investigation? Were Musa Hassan and Johari Baharum treated the way they are now treating Nat when police reports were lodged against them?
There are some things one could do to help Nat.
Let the police know Nat has a lot of friends, fellow bloggers and supporters who will not take kindly to their kind of rubbish.
Be proactive by calling them, sending them faxes and SMSs. It can be a short letter, or an SMS, like “Bebaskan Nathaniel Tan – Jgn buli blogger”, or “Free Nathaniel Tan – Polis jgn diperalatkan politikus”.
You should also contact them to ask them what time exactly will they release Nat on Saturday (think positive!), or where and when will Nat be taken for his remand hearing?
Whatever suits your mood. The point is to flood their phones, mail boxes and fax machines, and to let them know that we are watching their every move, even if they go take a leak.
Here are key people:-
1. DSP Victor – Investigating Officer – 016 3043 669
2. ACP Tn Kamaruddin – Cyber-Crime Division – 019 6000 135
3. Tan Sri Musa Hassan
Inspector-General of Police
Ibu Pejabat Polis Diraja Malaysia
Bukit Aman
50560 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03 2262 6222
Fax: 03 2273 9602
Email: rmp@rmp.gov.my
Oh, don’t bother with the PM’s Department. His secretaries are not known for their reading skills, especially when it comes to public interest memorandum and letters.
Will update site when more information about Nat’s freedom / remand are known.
elizabeth wong 
How You Can Help Nat
Hat tip to the Queen : Nat Tan was arrested at around 4.30 pm on Friday the 13th. He was considered ‘missing’ for almost 6 hours, until the police finally admitted they had him in their custody. That’s six hours…
The “friendly” police force just showed us how “friendly” they can be. We are the laughing stocks of the world when it comes to human rights. What crime did Nat commit and what wrongs did the beloved family of Nat do to warrant such inhumane treatment from the people who are supposed to protect us? from the people who we voted year- in, year- out to big fat MP posts, to being Ministers and Deputy Minister, or even the PM or DPM? Petrol stations in JB are being robbed almost daily by thugs who crashed their stolen cars into the convenience shops. When they made police reports and showed the CCTV recordings, the inspectors would point the fingers to the pic and said, yes, this was the same guy who robbed days before. Yet, they did nothing simply because “kami tak cucup manpower ler….” Yet they have all the armoury to take action against someone like Nat. Friends, the time has come for all of us to demand for equality, for basic human right protection and for being recognised as a true blue, loyal and law abiding Malaysian. To Nat and his family and girlfriend, we stand by you, and we salute you for being strong in the face of extreme adversity.
sabah Nat… lokap better than jail. i’ve been there. PDRM memang sengaja buat susah. Tangkap tanpa sebap. Polis Di-raja Malaysia sudah tukar “POLIS RAJA DI MALAYSIA”
Alright, my repeated protest to the arrest of NAT. I am not in the Penisular and a call to the MIB won’t do good unless I am in the top brass government official(If I am he won’t be arrested).
Liz should comes up with a similarity of the BBC reporter Alan Johnston signature protest. My call for immediate release of a non-criminal citizen
called Nathaniel Tan.
ok. i’ll email the IGP. let us all flood his mailbox.
do keep us update every moment, eli.
To whoever you are who thinks that by detaining Nat Tan, the FEAR in you will go away, think again & also about what Aung San Suu Kyi said: FEAR IS NOT THE NATURAL STATE OF CIVILIZED PEOPLE.
And the ‘uncultured’ friend of Phua Chu Kang, Frankie Foo would probably say: Ah bo den…who among BN politicians is truly free of fear for all the sins they commit against the Malaysian people. Let them stew in their fears, unvcivilized people.
To the police: Inikah tugas kamu? Menjaga jamban ahli politik BN?
Our prayers are for you, Nat
way to go, Eli. This incident confirms my suspicion that pak la is no different from m. They are making a coconnuy republic out of malaysioa ny pursuinmg this tradition of establishing a police state.
sky
[…] stuff you can actually do besides read blogs about this issue, borrowed from Elizabeth Wong’s blog: There are some things one could do to help […]
pdrm stinks. while crime rate balloons, they rather spend time working for the politicains to investigate social activists. thats the government under the so called religiously clean and fair government under AB for you.
Instead of just sitting there and complaining (like I alwaysdo), I gather my courage and make the SMS-es to police already.
Confirmed, no lie.
Here:
http://sagaladoola.blogspot.com/2007/07/nat-tan-arrested-my-sms-es-to-police.html
Nat Tan Arrested: My SMS-es to Police
Hope I did not hit any raw nerves.
Dear Elizabeta. We’re trying to find your email address. Please contact us. http://wikileaks.org/
Great job on the contact numbers!
as usual they are puppets to their masters and as usual public funds were used to defend the rapists, robbers, murderers and corrupted…. are they so efficient in JB?
I wonder if there was a warrant for arrest.
new poster for nat
http://wattahack.blogspot.com/2007/07/free-nat-now.html
Relax boys and girls!
He will be released sooner or later. Why him? Why PKR? The message is clear: they may not be able to control what gets published on the internet, but they certainly can make the blogger responsible for comments by anonymous visitors to their blog!
So delete, delete and delete…. Self-censorship?? What’s the difference?
EW: Why should we fall on our knees thanks to draconian laws?
[…] 後來英女王四處奔走想把他找出來，警方卻作出不知情的表示。他的女友，也是胡某的老友，為此哭成淚人。 […]
What the DAP said are all proven.Doing the dirty job for the master.Pathetic.
[…] ways to help Nat, please follow these instructions laid out by Eli below. Thanks. There are some things one could do to help […]
Keep up the good work Eli, fight the good fight.
REPRESSION IS CLEARLY ALIVE AND WELL IN MALAYSIA
READ THIS AND CRY FOR DEMOCRACY IN MALAYSIA
WE ALL MUST ALL STAND UP AND INSIST UPON OUR RIGHTS
UNITY IS STRENGTH
EVERYONE, PLEASE WAKE UP FROM YOUR MALAISE AND APATHY
AND DO WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE!!!!!!!!!!!
Below is an extract from the Human Rights Watch web site:
http://www.hrw.org/press98/bck-brif/my-osa.htm
“Malaysia’s Official Secrets Act is a broadly-worded law which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, as well as significant lesser penalties for the actions associated with the wrongful collection, possession or communication of official information. Any public officer can declare any material an official secret — a certification which cannot be questioned in court . The act allows for arrest and detention without a warrant, and substantially reverses the burden of proof. It states that “until the contrary is proven,” any of the activities proscribed under the act will be presumed to have been undertaken “for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of Malaysia.” It is not necessary for the authorities to show that the accused person was guilty of a particular act, and states that even if no act is proved, the accused person may still be convicted on the basis of “the circumstances of the case, his conduct or his known character…”.”
[…] reason. The full story of the arrest of Nat could be found in Tian Chua’s blog. And also click here to find out what *you* can do to help […]