KOTA BARU: Acting Kelantan Sultan Tengku Muhammad Faris Petra said his father, Sultan Ismail Petra, was being placed under police security for his own safety, in view of the recent shooting of a palace guard in Tumpat.
However, lawyers claiming to represent the Sultan and his consort Raja Perempuan Tengku Anis Tengku Hamid, said they were prevented by the police from seeing their clients on Wednesday.
Tengku Muhammad Faris, in a statement read out by Kelantan royal household comptroller Datuk Mohd Halim Hamad on Wednesday, said he had instructed state police chief Datuk Rahim Hanafi to provide around-the-clock security for the Sultan, who was admitted at the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Hospital in Kubang Kerian on Tuesday for medical treatment.
Last Friday, four unidentified assailants shot palace guard Ramli Mohamad, 50, at close range, around 12.35am.
Ramli, who has worked at the palace for 17 years, rushed to the Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital and slipped into a coma after doctors failed to remove the bullet from his chest.
Tengku Muhammad Faris, who is also the Kelantan Regent, has ordered Rahim to investigate the case thoroughly.
On Tuesday, Tengku Muhammad Faris said his father and mother were taken to hospital's royal ward under tight police security, so that specialists could assess the Sultan's health and suggest the next course of action.
Mohd Halim, who read out Tengku Muhammad Faris' statement at Istana Balai Besar, also urged the public to refrain from believing in rumours and blogs, and instead rely on the official statements from the palace.
Mohd Halim said Tengku Muhammad Faris and was extremely concerned for his father's safety and health.
He also warned outsiders against getting involved in the Kelantan royal household's dispute.
Meanwhile, lawyers Datuk Mohd Haaziq Pillay and Gobind Singh Deo, in a press conference held the USM Hospital, claimed they went to the hospital at 4.35pm Wednesday but were refused entry by police, after a 15-minute discussion.
Both lawyers claimed they had reason to believe that the Sultan and Raja Perempuan were being held against their wishes.
Details on their next course of action would be revealed on Thursday in Kuala Lumpur, Gobind said.
"Even the police seemed to be in the dark. We were told that no one was allowed to meet the royal couple unless there was a green light from certain quarters," he added.
On Tuesday, the Sultan was prevented from leaving Kelantan for Singapore to receive further medical treatment when a chartered private aircraft was not given the green light to land at the Sultan Ismail Petra airport here.
Instead, the Sultan, who was waiting at the airport, was taken by security forces to the USM Hospital.
It was not immediately known who prevented the Sultan from leaving the state.
The Department of Civil Aviation here, when contacted, refused to say why the private jet was not allowed to land.
The Sultan and his entourage, which included Tengku Anis, Tengku Temenggong Tengku Muhammad Fakhry and personal doctors, were scheduled to leave here at 11.30am but were unsuccessful.
However, a second attempt to leave Kelantan was made again at 7.30pm but they were intercepted by security forces and escorted to the hospital.
It was also learnt that the Sultan was suppose to receive medical treatment for 10 days.
Sultan Ismail Petra, who was admitted at the Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore for nine months from May 24 last year, returned to Kelantan on March 4.
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