Police record statements from designer, publisher of book insulting coat of arms

Police have recorded statements from the graphic designer and publisher of a book to facilitate investigations into the alleged insult of Malaysia’s coat of arms or 'Jata Negara’.

Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department deputy director (Investigations/Legal) DCP Mior Faridalatrash Wahid said the Classified Criminal Investigations Unit (D5) recorded the graphic designer’s statement on Thursday (July 2).

“Meanwhile, the book publisher is being investigated by the Petaling Jaya police. I was informed that this individual was summoned to the Petaling Jaya police headquarters on June 30,” he said when contacted by Bernama today.

Mior Faridalatrash said that police may call other witnesses to complete the investigation.

On June 30, police conducted a raid on a printing company in Petaling Jaya and seized 313 books for allegedly insulting the country’s coat of arms.

So far, police have received 32 reports pertaining to the issue and opened four investigation papers under Section 5 of the Emblems and Names (Preventing Unlawful Use) (Amendment) Act 2016, Section 4 (1) of the Sedition Act 1948, Section 8 (1) of the Printing Presses and Publication Act 1984 as well as Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

-- BERNAMA