KUALA LUMPUR: Blogger Wan Muhammad Azri Wan Deris, also known as Papagomo, and activist Mohd Ali Baharom or Ali Tinju, have been remanded for two days under the Sedition Act.

Their lawyer Ahmad Shuaib Ismail said police requested a four-day remand order, but the magistrate reduced it to two days.

“Ali Tinju was detained for his remark on a video while Papagomo was arrested for a statement on Twitter,” said Ahmad Shuaib.

Both men were remanded under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act.

Papagomo was detained on Tuesday night after he surrendered himself to police at the Dang Wangi police headquarters at 9pm. He was sought for allegedly posting false information on social media that led to the unruly situation outside Low Yat Plaza on Sunday night.

Among the posts the blogger is said to have made is that of a photo of a bloodied victim in a different incident, which he linked to the Low Yat brawl.

Mohd Ali, meanwhile, is said to have made a racially-charged speech outside Low Yat Plaza.

The theft of a handphone at the Low Yat Plaza on Saturday has been racialised by some on social media as it involved a dealer and a customer of different races. The mob that gathered outside the plaza on Sunday night had also shouted racial remarks.

Police have so far detained 25 people for rioting, sedition as well as theft in connection with the Low Yat incident.

Police yesterday also detained Bagan Umno division chief Datuk Shaik Hussein Mydin for investigation under the Sedition Act in relation to the Low Yat Plaza fracas over the weekend.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar confirmed the arrest, adding that Shaik Hussein had been detained under the Section 4(1) of the act. No further details were provided.

Shaik Hussein was detained outside the central Seberang Prai police station as he was about to hold a press conference, according to an online portal.

Earlier yesterday, Khalid told reporters, “We will arrest anyone who tries to incite hatred, instigating the situation. It does not matter what race. We are colour blind.” — The Malaysian Insider

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on July 16, 2015.