Ex-Umany President Charged with Disobeying Police Order to Stop ‘Live’ Recording of Raid

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Clad in a white shirt, Universiti Malaya Association of New Youth’s (Umany) former president Wong Yan Ke arrived at the Petaling Jaya Magistrate’s court at about 9am today accompanied by his lawyer and several supporters who came to show their solidarity with the accused.

Miera Zulyana

Wong was calm and nodded in understanding when the charge was read to him before magistrate Nurshahira Abdul Salim.

The Universiti Malaya (UM) graduate has claimed trial to a charge of alleged disobedience to an order issued by a civil servant during a police raid at a house in Petaling Jaya last week.

He is accused of committing the offence at Jalan 17/48, Petaling Jaya, Selangor at 3.30pm on November 7.

According to the charge, he is accused of disobeying an order promulgated by police officer Assistant Superintendent Lee Robert to cease his Facebook Live recording during an ongoing police raid at the time of the incident.

The charge, under Section 188 of the Penal Code, carries a penalty of a maximum of one month’s jail, or a fine of up to RM400, or both.

Subsequent to Wong’s not guilty plea, Deputy Public Prosecutor Anifah Hazimah Wahab then offered bail at RM7,000.

“This case involves public interest,” she said.

Lawyer Rajsurian Pillai, who represented Wong, then argued for the court to impose a lower bail as there was nothing to suggest his client would abscond or was a flight risk, before further arguing that bails are meant to secure an accused’s attendance.

He also argued his client was a fresh graduate currently under the employment of Klang MP Charles Santiago and had rendered his full cooperation to the authorities throughout the investigation process.

The magistrate then set bail at RM1,000 with one surety with no additional condition.

She fixed the case for mention on February 4, 2021.

On November 7, Wong was arrested while he was filming and broadcasting a raid in connection with an investigation involving the University of Malaya Association of New Youth (Umany) over a controversial statement on the role of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

The probe, under the Sedition Act, was in relation to Umany’s published article on its Facebook page titled “Yang di-Pertuan Agong should not intervene in national affairs”.

Following that, Umany withdrew the Facebook post deemed critical of the Agong and issued an apology yesterday.

The group also reiterated that the post was for the purposes of academic discussion and that no malicious damage or sedition was ever intended.