Sabahan activist freed on police bail
Published on: Friday, June 28, 2024
By:
Julia Chan, Malay Mail
Sabahan activist Mukmin Nantang, who has been vocal on the controversial eviction of Bajau Laut people from the Tun Sakaran Marine Park, was arrested at the Semporna district police headquarters around 12.50pm today. — Picture from Facebook/Mukmin Nantang
Kota Kinabalu: Sabahan activist Mukmin Nantang was released on police bail after being briefly arrested under the Sedition Act Thursday.
Mukmin, who has been vocal on the eviction of Bajau Laut people from the Tun Sakaran Marine Park, was arrested at the Semporna district police headquarters around 12.50pm.
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“An Inspector Roslan told me he was being ordered to arrest me under the Sedition Act, allegedly for a TikTok video on the Bajau Laut incident,” he told Malay Mail.
Mukmin said he could not divulge which video was it was on the advice of his lawyer, but added that the video was not his account since he does not have a TikTok account.
“My lawyer Rafeeqa asked that I not be remanded and be released on police bail. So at 1.30pm, I was released,” he said.
Mukmin, who heads an NGO called Borneo Komrad, was told to go to the Semporna district police headquarters to facilitate investigations.
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The NGO he founded had posted videos of Bajau Laut houses being demolished around the Tun Sakaran Marine Park three weeks ago which were picked up by international news outfits.
Several NGOs including Mandiri have objected to Mukmin’s arrest, and accused the Government of using the archaic Sedition Act to persecute those who were voicing their opinions.
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The eviction of the Bajau Laut in Semporna earlier this month saw their stilt homes torn down in an operation that apparently targeted those living on seven islands in the region, including Pulau Bohey Dulang, Pulau Maiga, Pulau Bodgaya, Pulau Sebangkat and Pulau Sibuan.
Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew said the operation was carried out because of safety concerns following a shooting incident in Teluk Darvel and cross-border criminal activities in the area.
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