KOTA KINABALU: Student group Suara Mahasiswa UMS has launched the #SABAH3 campaign, calling for the immediate release of three activists recently detained under the Sedition Act 1948.
The campaign follows the arrest of their leader Muhamad Fadhil Muhamad Kasim, member Aliff Danial Badrul Akmal Hisham, and local activist Sabir Syarifuddin.
In a statement posted on Instagram on Tuesday (June 24), Suara Mahasiswa UMS claimed that the three were wrongly detained for their involvement in the recent Gempur Rasuah Sabah 2.0 rally.
They stated that the two UMS undergraduates were arrested at the Kota Kinabalu District Police headquarters when they went to lodge a report after acid was allegedly splashed on Fadhil’s car.
“We strongly reject this abuse of power and demand that the authorities release all three activists immediately.
"This is why we are launching the #SABAH3 campaign, to mobilise public support,” they said in a post.
They also criticised Kota Kinabalu district police chief Asst Comm Kasim Muda for initially denying the arrests, calling it misleading to the media and public.
The Gempur Rasuah Sabah 2.0 protest, held over June 21–22, saw students gather peacefully to protest against corruption and unresolved water problems on campus, but escalated into controversy when some demonstrators burnt caricatures of the Prime Minister on the final day.
Meanwhile, Parti Warisan legal adviser Chin Tek Ming, who was also summoned by police in connection with the rally, voiced support for the students and their cause.
In a statement on Tuesday (June 24), he confirmed giving a statement to the authorities earlier but clarified that he was not present during the caricature-burning incident.
While he did not condone the burning of placards, he stressed that the students felt they had no avenue left to pursue.
Earlier, Anwar advised that UMS students involved in the recent Gempur Rasuah 2.0 rally should not face expulsion.
According to Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, Anwar acknowledged the students may have made a mistake but stressed that their education and future should take priority.
This follows an earlier statement by UMS Vice-Chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Kasim Mansor that 13 students could face disciplinary action under the Universities and University Colleges Act 2012, which may include suspension or expulsion.
