KUALA LUMPUR: One of the men seen in a video taking down the Malaysian flag and raising the flags of Sabah and Sarawak left the country in 2016, says the Inspector-General of Police.
Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said the main figure in the video has been identified as a 36-year-old who left the country on Oct 26, 2016.
"Immigration records revealed that he has not returned to the country.
"We are investigating the video under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948, Section 505(b) of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998," he said when contacted on Wednesday (Sept 25).
Bukit Aman CID's Special Investigation Unit is investigating the case, he added.
Razarudin said an NGO, Republic of Sabah North Borneo, is also being investigated.
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"We found that it was registered in Australia. Checks are being conducted with the Registrar of Societies (ROS) here as well," he said.
It was reported that the police had begun an investigation of the viral video.
The act of lowering the Jalur Gemilang was recorded in front of the Victoria Parliament Building in Melbourne, Australia, on Sept 16.
The 8min, 13sec clip shows a group of individuals taking down the Malaysian flag before raising the Sabah and Sarawak flags to half-mast.
The clip claims the act symbolises the end of Malaysia's rule over Sabah and Sarawak, making both states a republic.
A total of 35 police reports have been lodged on the video.
Police also believe that a social media user in Sabah, a man with a criminal record, has circulated the video online.
He is currently involved in court proceedings in Kota Kinabalu and is out on bail, with the next mention of his case scheduled for November.
The IGP had said police are investigating the connection between this local man and those seen in the video.
