Deputy Internal Security Minister Noh Omar, who bore the brunt of the nude ear-squat scandal, was slapped with a show cause letter asking him to explain why he should remain in office.

However, the show-cause letter was not issued by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is also internal security minister but by a coalition that calls itself 'Action against political interference in the media'.

The letter was submitted to Noh's office in Putrajaya this morning by Suaram executive director Yap Swee Seng, National Human Rights Society (Hakam) secretary general Elizabeth Wong, Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall youth section vice-president Wai Ah Wah and Center for Independent Journalism outreach officer Bob Kee.

The delagation was accompanied by about 10 supporters who displayed banners calling for Noh's removal.

The letter was received by the minister's private secretary Saiful Bahar Mohd.

The coalition said it was disappointed with how the deputy minister had handled the scandal.

Among others, he was asked to explain why he had not corrected the identity of the woman in the scandal when four newspapers - China Press, Utusan Malaysia, Berita Harian and the New Straits Times - described her as a Chinese national.

"You have to explain why the nationality of the woman was not investigated and made public in the three weeks from Nov 23 to Dec 13, 2005 (when she was positively identified as a local)?" read the two-page letter.

The coalition also wanted Noh to explain how he - as the deputy minister who oversees the police - could be in the dark over her identity.

"Does this suggest that the information was concealed by the police? If this is true, has there been any action taken against the concerned police officers.

"(On the other hand) if the police had given the information of the woman to you and you did not make it public, does this not amount to you being negligent in discharging your duties as a deputy minister and what is the motive for concealing this information from the public?"

Selective persecution?

Noh was also taken to task for sending a show-cause letter to China Press for its erroneous report identifying the woman as a Chinese national.

Two top editors of the Chinese daily were later pressured to resign amid strong protests from concerned groups who described it as an attempt by the government to muzzle the media.

"The government should not interfere in the operations of any media in order to safeguard press freedom," stressed the coalition in the letter.

It also asked why only China Press was targetted and the rest let off the hook.

Noh has been given 10 days to respond to the show-cause letter, failing which, he was urged to relinquish his post.

During the height of the scandal, the deputy minister landed in the limelight and earned a reprimand from Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for asking foreigners who were unhappy to return to their countries.

He later blamed the media for misinterpreting his words.