Dr M disagrees with police action to arrest man over FB insults

PETALING JAYA: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has said that he disagrees with the action of the police who detained a man who had allegedly "insulted" him.

"I don't agree with the action taken against those who criticise me. I have informed the police about this. The laws will be studied when Parliament convenes," the Prime Minister said in a tweet on Friday (May 18).

In a statement posted on the official Langkawi IPD Facebook page on Thursday (May 17), police said that a man was arrested on Wednesday after several NGOs (non-governmental organisations) filed a police report against him the day before.

They had voiced dissatisfaction with his "excessively insulting statements on Facebook against Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Islam".

The NGOs were not identified.

It is believed to be the first such arrest under the new Pakatan Harapan-led administration.

Several people had condemned the arrest, including Petaling Jaya MP Maria Chin Abdullah who said that such police reports would lead to the creation of a culture of fear that the Pakatan administration does not intend to promote.