KeADILan vice president Marina Yusof was arrested today for her alleged speech implicating Umno leaders in the May 13 racial riots. She was accused of committing the offence at a ceramah in Penang before the general elections.

Marina was charged under Section 4 (1) B of the Sedition Act when she appeared at the Cheras police station this morning.

Marina told malaysiakini that the arrest warrant was issued one day before Hari Raya Aidilfitri. The warrant was faxed from Penang and she was told to report to the police station today.

The charge was based on news reports which appeared in New Straits Times and Utusan Malaysia in October last year. On Oct 6, the NST reported that Umno Youth had branded Marina "a traitor for alleging that Umno leaders were responsible for starting the May 13 incident in 1969".

She was reported to have allegedly said that Umno leaders and members led by former Selangor Menteri Besar Harun Idris had planned and carried out massacres of the Chinese community during the mayhem.

As a result, two police reports were lodged against her, one by Umno Youth chief Datuk Hishammuddin Hussein and the other by Assistant Commissioner Kamarudin Mohd Desa from the Federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman.

Marina argued that her speech was taken out of the context by the two newspapers.

"They (the police) have based their arrest on the reports that appeared in NST and Utusan , which had been twisted," she said. She added that she made her statements on Sept 29 last year, and yet it wasn't until Oct 6 that the news report appeared in print.

She also vowed to take legal action against the newspapers. "I am waiting for the right time," she said.

Marina was released on bail and will be charged on Friday at the Magistrate Court of Bukit Mertajam.