The Home Ministry yesterday seized 30 books from publisher GerakBudaya at its booth at the Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair 2015 under the Printing and Printing Presses Act 1984.

Some of books seized have been in the market for years, or are openly sold in major bookstores, GerakBudaya event coordinator Ng Yap Hwa told Malaysiakini.

He said the officers who raided the booth at the book fair at Putra World Trade Centre also seized several copies of the Quran.

“They said we did not have special permission to sell (the Quran),” he added when contacted.

A copy of the seizure document issued by the Home Ministry, sighted by Malaysiakini , stated the copies of the Quran were taken upon suspicion of violating the Printing of Quranic Text Act 1986.

The other books seized include:

Money Logging: On the Trail of the Asian Timber Mafia ;

Shi'ite Islam ;

Hinduisme Agama Tauhid Terawal (Hinduism, The Earliest Religion);

Mengenali Allah Melalui Agama Purba (Getting to Know Allah Through Ancient Religions);

Marx, Sang Pendidik Revolusioner (Marx, The Revolutionary Educator); and

Hidup Bagaikan Sungai Mengalir (Life Like A Flowing River)

'Money Logging' details corruption in the Sarawak timber trade, while ' Hidup Bagaikan Sungai Mengalir ' is a book on women in the independence movement.

"We have been selling 'Hidup Bagaikan Sungai Mengalir' for years, no problem. There were other books on Malay communists but they did not take them.

"They just walked around and picked the books (they thought were problematic),” Ng said.

'Money Logging' is also sold at Kinokuniya and Times Bookstores.

Ng said this is the Home Ministry's second visit to GerakBudaya’s booth since the book fair started on April 24. No books were seized during the first visit.

To a question, he was  unsure if GerakBudaya was targeted or if any of the other 917 booths were also raided.  

However, he said the publisher has participated in scores of book fairs before with no issue.