Teresa Kok outside the Jalan Travers police station Friday afternoon after being released from detention under the ISA
KUALA LUMPUR: Seputeh MP Teresa Kok was released from detention under the Internal Security Act at about 1pm on Friday, her lawyer Sankara Nair said.
Her father Kok Kim Tong and mother Poh Seh Kwon were at the Jalan Travers police station here when she was released.
“I am happy that I have been released and I’m okay,” she told reporters gathered at the police station.
“I do not know why I was released today, just as I do not know why I was detained,” she added.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar said that she had been released at 1.30pm after investigations showed there was no reason to detain her any further.
She was released unconditionally.
Kok, 44, later Friday told press conference at the DAP headquarters in Petaling Jaya that she would sue Utusan Malaysia and its columnist Zaini Hassan over articles about her.
She also said the she would sue former Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo over his statements about her.
She said that throughout her detention, the police never explained why she had been detained.
“I gave my full co-operation to the police. I kept asking why I had been detained but the police never told me why,” she added.
Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim and DAP leaders showed up in full force for the press confenrence.
The Kinrara assemblyman and senior Selangor state executive councillor was detained one week ago, together with Malaysia Today editor Raja Petra Kamarudin and Sin Chew Daily reporter Tan Hoon Cheng.
Tan was released after 18 hours.
Kok was detained because she was considered a potential threat to national security for "racial incitement" after she was accused of petitioning a mosque to reduce the volume for azan (the call to prayer), something which she had vehemently denied.
The accusation surfaced in a Sept 10 article in Utusan Malaysia quoting former Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo.
The accusation was refuted by the Kinrara mosque committee chairman and Kota Raja MP Dr Siti Mariah had lodged a police report against Dr Mohd Khir on this issue.
Kok also lodged a police report against the Malay daily, its columnist Zaini Hassan and Dr Mohd Khir.
“I believe one of the excuses for my ISA detention is in relation to that article and I place Utusan Malaysia, Zaini Hassan and Dr Mohd Khir Toyo responsible for my arrest,” she had stated in her police report.
On Monday, Kok filed a habeas corpus application in the High Court for her release citing that her arrest and detention under the Internal Security Act was unlawful.
Sankara said then that the court had fixed Sept 23 for hearing but said they would apply for Sept 22 instead as he had another case and Karpal Singh would be in East Malaysia on that date.
Star Online
19/09/08
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