Police to ask Interpol to look out for Raja Petra
By LOURDES CHARLES and M. MAGESWARI

KUALA LUMPUR: Police will ask Interpol to look out for Malaysia Today editor Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin who has a warrant of arrest against him for failing to turn up at court for trial.

(omitted)

Raja Petra, 59, had on July 17 last year claimed trial to three counts of criminal defamation over his statutory declaration on the murder of a Mongolian translator.

The father of three boys and two girls is alleged to have defamed the then Deputy Prime Minister’s wife, by making a libellous statement in the declaration which he affirmed on June 18 when he knew that it would tarnish her good name.

The grandfather of four also faces two similar charges against Leftenan Kolonel Norhayati Hassan and her husband Leftenan Kolonel Abdul Aziz Buyong.

Raja Petra is said to have committed the offences at High Court (Civil 5) at the Jalan Duta court complex at 10:25am on June 18, last year.

At the outset of court proceedings, DPP Anselm applied for the arrest warrant against the editor and the notice for his wife saying that both were aware that the criminal defamation trial was set for three days from Tuesday.

Raja Petra’s lawyer, Amarjit Singh Sidhu, told the judge that the defence team was waiting to get a trial date at the Court of Appeal for their appeal on the transfer order involving the same case.

“We have now received the appeal records. It is on the transfer of this case from the Magistrates Court to the Sessions Court,” he added.

(omitted)

Raja Petra claims to be in a self-exile from Selangor because of a dispute with the state’s Palace.

He claimed in a Malaysia Today article that he would not be attending the hearings not only because of his brush with the Palace but also due to his fear of another Internal Security Act arrest.

He also said that he did not want to face possible treason charges.

According to the press report, the police believes that the editor is now in Brisbane.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/5/26/nation/20090526093607&sec=nation

There are two points I disagree with, with the writer of this article:

"The father of three boys and two girls is alleged to have defamed the then Deputy Prime Minister’s wife, by making a libellous statement in the declaration which he affirmed on June 18 when he knew that it would tarnish her good name.

The grandfather of four also faces two similar charges against Leftenan Kolonel Norhayati Hassan and her husband Leftenan Kolonel Abdul Aziz Buyong."

What does the writer want to point out next? That RPK is the uncle of 13, step-uncle of 3, nephew to 8, and so on? I know that she was trying to make him look like an irresponsible family man, but to the extent of listing out the fact that he is a grandfather of four is plain absurd.

The issue altogether is ridiculous. I know they send for Interpol help for pedophiles, murderers, rapists, serial killers, fraudsters, con men who walked away with millions, but for a guy who wrote something on the internet? Umm... would Interpol actually waste their time?