KUALA LUMPUR: The National Press Club (NPC) Saturday (13 Sept) called on the government and the police to release Sin Chew Daily reporter Tan Hoon Cheng who was arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA) Friday night (12 Sept).

The NPC, in a statement, said it was concerned and saddened by the detention of Tan over her report on the alleged racist remark last month by Datuk Ahmad Ismail, then Bukit Bendera Umno division chief. (Ahmad was suspended for three years by the Umno Supreme Council for his alleged remark.)

The NPC said Tan was merely doing her job in reporting the event for her newspaper.

It also said that if this "arrest" of journalists in the course of carrying out their professional duties becomes a trend by the authorities, it would not augur well for the well-being of journalism in the country in reporting the truth of events in the country.

It would lead to reporters working under the yoke of intimidation in their daily work, the NPC said.

Tan had written a report claiming that Ahmad had made a disparaging remark about the Chinese at a "ceramah" (talk) during the Permatang Pauh by-election campaign in Penang last month.

Besides Tan, blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin and Seputeh Member of Parliament Teresa Kok were also arrested under the ISA Friday.

In Johor Bahru, MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu asked the government to release Tan, saying the detention of the reporter would not augur well for the image of the country.

Samy Vellu said he had spoken with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on the matter and had requested him to ask Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar to release the journalist immediately.

"In doing so (releasing the reporter), the government will not be blamed for restricting press freedom," he told reporters after opening a Johor-level workshop on the rebranding of the MIC.

Samy Vellu said Tan was a young reporter who was only carrying out her duty as a journalist. "She had only written what she had heard from the speech," he said.

In Ipoh, MCA vice-president Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said he was informed by Syed Hamid that further investigation would be conducted on the detention of the reporter to ensure that justice prevailed.

He said the MCA could show a high level of commitment and concern in the matter by appealing to the prime minister and deputy prime minister and raising the matter in the Cabinet.

Chua said the government could be assumed to be giving a wrong message to the people if it failed to provide convincing grounds for the detention under the ISA.

He said the MCA supported government action to ensure the country's political stability and no one should harp on racial issues. (Bernama)