Tee Yam out

PETALING JAYA: Controversial businessman Tee Yam @ Koo Tee Yam, accused of underworld links, has been released by police today. 

His release comes three days after they arrested him in front of news cameras right after he was set free from the Simpang Reggam Detention Centre in Johor.  

It was learnt that Tee Yam was informed of his release at 6.30pm. 

Tee Yam grabs hold of his medication as he is ushered by the police into an unmarked van after his initial release on Oct 29.

CID director Comm Datuk Fauzi Shaari said that Tee Yam left Bukit Aman, where he had been held since his arrest since Saturday, at about 8pm together with his wife Chia Mee Sim. 

Yesterday, Tee Yam’s lawyer Datuk Muha­mmad Shafee Abdullah said he would file a contempt of court application against the police for arresting the businessman. 

On Oct 19, the Federal Court ordered Tee Yam’s release from the centre after he successfully obtained a habeas corpus order. 

The order was served on the Deputy Internal Security Minister, IGP and head of the centre where Tee Yam had been detained for 17 months. 

His latest detention was under Section 3 of the Emergency Ordinance 1969 that would have allowed the police to hold him for 60 days. 

Shafee told reporters on Saturday that Tee Yam was arrested for four reasons: being part of a secret society; being involved in activities that prejudice public order; association to violent crimes. 

Tee Yam dismissed allegations linking him to illegal activities, saying that they were propaganda created to support his detention.  

The 48-year-old businessman was arrested in March last year under the Emergency Ordinance and was moved to the detention centre two months later. 

He also had his Datukship stripped by the Sultan of Pahang for “tarnishing the image of the award.” 

Dubbed as one of the "Four Heavenly Kings" by the media, Tee Yam owns several entertainment outlets and restaurants in the city’s Bukit Bintang area. 

He is also known as Ah Lek or Pai Kah Lek, because he walks with a limp and had served as an advisor for several Chinese bodies including several Chinese guilds in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur. 

He had also once served as chairman of a Chinese school’s board of directors. 

Tee Yam was also involved in at least nine companies, with businesses ranging from computers to property development. 

A businessman who knew Tee Yam said: “He is well known in the Chinese community as he is a philanthropist. That was why news about his release and refusal to leave the centre has been widely reported.” 

He described Tee Yam as a “powerful and influential” figure with an extensive network of associates and friends because of his public relations skills and “generosity".