Malaysian journalist released on bail following sedition arrest linked to controversial question posed at public forum

KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian journalist, who was detained under sedition laws following a controversial question he posed at a public lecture, was released on Saturday (Jan 17).

Rex Tan, formerly with local news outlet Free Malaysia Today (FMT), was arrested at about 12.45am on Saturday after being summoned to the Dang Wangi district police headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

He was released on police bail later that afternoon after his statement was recorded, Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director M Kumar said. 

Kumar also said on Saturday that three police reports had been lodged against Tan, reported the New Straits Times. 

Tan’s lawyer Rajsurian Pillai earlier confirmed that his client was detained under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948 and Section 505(c) of the Penal Code, The Star reported. 

The arrest followed a question Tan posed during a public lecture on Monday that was alleged to contain racial elements. 

At the lecture titled “Gaza Exposes the Complicity of International Actors” featuring British politician George Galloway, Tan had allegedly asked whether there were parallels between “the Palestine problem and the Chinese problem in Malaya”.

Videos of the exchange later circulated online, sparking widespread criticism on social media. 

FMT subsequently issued an apology on Wednesday, saying it had no prior knowledge of Tan’s intention to raise the question and had not approved his comments. 

Tan, 31, also apologised on Thursday and resigned from the news outlet on Friday, following a townhall session convened by the top editors of FMT, local media reported. 

“I am deeply sorry for my poorly constructed question, my failure to take into account its relevance to the event, and for asking it without sufficient consideration of its sensitive nature,” he said in a statement posted by FMT. 

“I take full ownership of the controversy and the tension it has generated.”