Nat's out.

Nat's freed today. That means that he'll be there for the forum "In Solidarity with Nat Tan":

Venue: KL & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall
Date: 19th July 2007 (Thursday)
Time: 7.30 pm
Admission is Free; Bring Friends

The panel of Distinguished Speakers include:

• Nathaniel Tan, Blogger & Aide to PKR Advisor*
• Jeff Ooi, Protem Vice-President, All Blogs Malaysia
• Harris Ibrahim, Lawyer & Founder of The People's Parliament
• Nurul Izzah Anwar, Special Assistant to PKR Advisor
• Lim Guan Eng, Secretary-General of DAP
• Tony Pua, Economic Advisor to DAP Secretary-General

Chairperson: Soon Li Tsin, Journalist & Blogger

Nat will be invited to speak about his ordeal. More details here at Tony Pua's.

Continuing sokong of Nat

Nat's being remanded for 4 days. Under the OSA over allegation of possession of documents pertaining to Johari Baharum's alleged involvement in corruption. Jeff has the story.

I looked it up and remand means: A prisoner who is remanded into custody is sent back to prison subsequent to a preliminary hearing before a tribunal or magistrate until the hearing is resumed, or the trial is commenced.

My Internet connection's merajuking. I've moved the modem into my parents' room where it's working now. Awfully tired due to lack of sleep. I'm going to the workshop for electoral reporting tomorrow. Have to turn in early tonight.

FreeNatNow

From: Mob1900

I'm up already at 7:30am, although I slept at almost 5. And of course my plan to de-dehydrate my skin is out of the window.

Updates on Nat's case: Here's Eli's furious account of what happened in the Police Station and all, and some questions that she raised. A chronological description of what happened yesterday and pictures from the gathering of solidarity outside Bukit Aman, by Bob K.

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.

Here's what you can do to help.

Nat was arrested at 4:45pm but the police only confirmed that they had him at 10pm. That's like five hours of Nat being missing. He was whisked away by the cops, those who are supposed to protect us instead of abduct us. You arrest mar arrest lah, but why the secretiveness?

Nat was arrested due to "a comment left on one of his blog posts, which put the link pointing to a website which reported on the deputy minister for Internal Security".

I hate it when my dad tells me that I should work towards a PR elsewhere. I hate it more when I am unable to refute him, which is increasingly the case lately.

Previous posting of Nat's case here.

*Update* Sinchew says that the arrest is connected to the doctored photo of "French dinner for 3", first seen in Tian Chua's blog. Looks like some people are determined to blow the photo up. Big time. For Propaganda.

Nat detained at Bukit Aman

Nathaniel Tan who blogs at jelas.info and who is the founder of Bangkit.net, a civil society blog that gives exposure to NGOs for their statements and events, is being detained in Bukit Aman, with matters pertaining to OSA.

I have known Nat through the Net for a few months (through my research and some volunteering through Bangkit.net) and I have met him in person once. He's a really nice guy, very passionate about what he does. Not only in politics but in civil society movements as well. I hope no harm befalls him.

More info:
(For stingies who don't subscribe to Malaysiakini, here's the report:

OSA probe: Police detains PKR webmaster

A PKR information bureau staff, who helps maintain the opposition party website, was taken for questioning by three plainclothes police officers this afternoon.

Nathaniel Tan, 26, was picked up from the office of a non-governmental organisation Yayasan Aman in Petaling Jaya.

According to witnesses, the policemen did not provide any reasons as to why Tan was asked to go with them.
They said the policemen entered the office at about 4.45pm and requested for Tan to follow them to the Bukit Aman police headquarters for questioning.

The policemen also requested that Tan bring his notebook computer with him. It is believed that he is being questioned on matters relating to certain postings on the Internet.

Tan, a Harvard University graduate, has been involved in the maintenance of the opposition party’s website and is also a prominent blogger.

According to a press statement by PKR, Tan also works in the Foundation for the Future as the secretary to PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim who chairs the foundation.

'Intimidation tactics'

His lawyer Latheefa Koya told malaysiakini that according to a special branch officer known only as inspector William, there were no records of Tan being brought to Bukit Aman.

“We have also checked with Malaysian Control Centre (MCC) which is under the Bukit Aman to no avail. Instead, they advised us to make a police report,” she said.

In an immediate response, PKR information chief Tian Chua said the incident was an attempt to intimidate party workers.

“This is very shocking and incredible that they are using this sort of intimidation tactics. We are extremely outraged,” said Tian Chua, who is Tan's boss.

Tian Chua is currently being investigated for a blog posting, which was claimed to have violated the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

The posting contained a photo montage purportedly depicting Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak dining with his political advisor Abdul Razak Baginda and slain Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu.

A police report has been filed on Tan's "kidnapping" this evening.

Police confirm Tan's detention

At 10pm, more than six hours after Tan's disappearance, the police finally confirmed that he was indeed being held at Bukit Aman.

His family and a group of 20 supporters have gathered outside the police headquarters to press for his release. A number of them were seen holding 'Free Nathaniel' placards.

According to the police, Tan will be held for 24 hours by the Cyber Crime Unit in Jalan Dato Onn to facilite investigation under the Official Secrets Act (OSA).

Tan was later transferred to Kuala Lumpur's Dang Wangi police station and is expected to be brought before a magistrate for further remand at 4.30pm tomorrow.

His supporters are holding a vigil outside the police station. Tian Chua, who was present tonight, lambasted the government of abusing its powers to curb freedom of speech.

It is not known exactly what OSA offence Tan is being investigated for. The police have also earlier gone to Tan's house to seize his desktop computer.

Anyone found guilty of committing an offence under the Act is punished with a mandatory jail sentence of least one year to a maximum of seven years. imprisonment.

According to international rights group Amnesty International, the OSA provides "vaguely worded definitions" of what constitutes an official secret.

"It gives the authorities wide powers to curb and impose penalties on the unauthorised publication of any information in the hands of the government, no matter how insignificant or whether such information is already in the public domain."

From his sister Cheryl's blog with constant updates: *Click*
From his girlfriend Soon Li Tsin: *Click*
From John Lee, his colleague: *Click*
From Rocky: *Click*
From Jed Yoong, at FreeLunch2020: *Click*
From Susan Loone: *Click*

An email thread is going around and Nat's case is being circulated to Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders and possibly other NGOs.

I'm actually quite disturbed about this. Hope that Nat will be ok.

Our saham just went up.

Looks like bloggers are spoilt for choice these days if they are looking to associate with other bloggers. There's a new blog alliance in town, PABS (click here for Susan, and here for KTemoc - btw who's the president and who's the deputy?).

This will be interesting. On one hand, competition is good 'coz now bloggers can be vied by not one, but two alliances. Or maybe even join two if they want. 'Coz they don't have to be at loggerheads, ok. They can actually work together towards the common objective that they have. On the other hand - well, emotions tend to get out of hand and people get blinded when they're mad.

The blogosphere's gonna be choppy these days. (And I'm probably gonna miss the action 'coz I'm in Taipei!) But let's not focus the fire on shooting each other down, but on something constructive, ok? Why do we blog? For the country! So let's not get distracted, shall we?

On an unrelated note, this is how you should deal with blog wars. *Click*
WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN!?!?!
Wahahahhaha.... I love KennySia!

All-Blogs must NOT go to Ijok

I have been observing with interest this post of Susan Loone's, pushing All-Blogs to go to Ijok to "campaign for freedom of speech for bloggers". The arguments going in her comment section seems to have gone awry, attacking people based on their political inclinations (which is totally irrelevant and somewhat childish). Noone seems to care about what I see as the bigger picture, i.e. the future of All-Blogs to be able to unite all bloggers, to educate and to engage the government about blogging.

I wish I could put it in a more diplomatic way (since there are other segments of the cyberspace who strongly agree with Susan) but my opinion is: NO. All-Blogs must NOT go to Ijok.

Firstly, as I have mentioned here in my recommendations for All-Blogs, All-Blogs has to undergo an image revamp. It is important from several levels, to engage more people to blog, and to calm the government down, convince them that we are not here to topple it, but to help it improve our beloved country. We have to be neutral (and perceived so), and change has to come gradually. Not radically, and definitely not when All-Blogs is less than one month old and is still trying to define its existence.

Strategically speaking, it is suicide, for All-Blogs to "campaign", during the clash of the titans. To be there, to be waving the (not yet existent) flag of All-Blogs, will just increase the government’s apparent paranoia towards bloggers. Who's gonna hear, or believe, your cries of “All-Blogs is supporting neither the Opposition or Ruling Party”? Perception is the truth. Besides, at Ijok, the heated atmosphere will force us (All-Blogs) to take sides. Even in Susan’s post, people are taking sides already.

If we go to Ijok and present a referendum, saying "support my referendum, or siaplah kau", do you seriously believe that something good will come out of that? Here are some likely scenarios:

1. Govt becomes even more paranoid and (futile) blogger registration exercises are expedited.
2. Govt laughs at bloggers. With the full capacity of RM36mil behind Ijok. Govt laughs hard.
3. Opposition makes use of All-Blogs for their political speeches. All-Blogs sinks deeper into its anti-establishment image and loses whatsoever hope it has left of being a neutral entity, able to educate govt about what blogs are, and engage govt for healthy dialogue.
4. All-Blogs is ignored. What? We are not as important as we think we are?
   

You can say, fuck the government, they’re the ones behind times, they’re the ones that should listen to us, the almighty bloggers, wielding our keyboards and whatnot, to champion for democracy and freedom of speech. The government says: Fuck you back.

Are we out to prove that our (figurative) balls are bigger than the government’s? Stay focused, people. The good of the country. Getting heard by those who matter. Talking not only to the enlightened, but also to everybody else. Get the drift?

The second thing is, All-Blogs should not do anything of this sort without the agreement of the majority of its members, or at this moment, its committee members (which I am not part of =P). The constitution is not even out to state the All-Blogs’ policies towards these issues! I absolutely refuse to be represented by an entity which I do not believe in.

Yes, bloggers can go by their personal capacities to observe the campaigning process and perhaps provide us with insights overlooked by the mainstream media. But please spare All-Blogs.

I have actually spoken to Rocky about this matter. There seems to be a mix-up of sorts, which I hope that he will clarify a.s.a.p. What I have read and what he has told me seems to be two different scenarios.

3am notes

National Alliance of Bloggers is up! See here. The National Press Club is a smoky, smoky place. At 5:45pm I found myself holding a glass of beer (thanks Zorro) and standing awkwardly amidst big shot bloggers. Met in person for the first time, Politikus, Elizabeth Wong, Elviza, Anon. fm Miri, Mob1900, Susan Loone, The Malay Male, Rajahram and probably some other peeps I have left out (please don't mind, it's 3am my dears). And also Husna from Forward magazine who has to set up a blog tomorrow 'coz she's in the Female Liars Group Pic.

Blooper of the evening: Blur blur kena nominated to be the NAB's treasurer without knowing what happened, then upon realization, panicked, and rejected the motion by exclaiming "I'm bad with money". Gaaah there are probably like eight different interpretations that can spawn from that badly rendered sentence. I meant it in the

I-had-to-have-my-own-treasurer-
when-handling-only-a-class-of-30-students-
because-I-kept-rugiing-money-thank-you-Mel-Tan
sort of way.

Probably my body language (read: violent flailing of arms) sent the message so Tony Yew is the treasurer now.

Looky here another gathering for bloggers! Aren't we active nowadays. Check out the B.U.M. 2007.

My First Blog Meet

I went to the blog meet at SS14 for mi rebus today. SK invited me and I RSVP-ed for myself and KF, so at 11:30am, we sidled shyly into the compound of Maria's neat little spot of a mi rebus stall with some familiar faces already there.

This is my first blog meet. It was rather different from the blog meets you always read in blogs - camwhoring, camwhoring and more camwhoring (an identifying characteristic of young, hip Malaysian bloggers), and attending bloggers were mostly older males, though cool female bloggers Nuraina and MarinaM were there. Heartening to see was a healthy mix of all races mingling together.

Got to talk to Zorro, Sheih, Nuraina and Marina. And a couple of others whom I can't remember their names and blogs. Also caught up a bit with Tony (who's helping me with my research) and Rocky. Flattered that Nuraina knew about my ill-maintained blog and it was surreal to be talking about porn and Some Big Shot's private life with the people behind the blogs. Somehow they all seemed to be post-generating (in Sheih's case, poster-generating) manbots before today.

Rocky's case has been delayed, like he said it would be, till 2nd of April because the plaintiffs amended their claims.