The police have arrested a beauty salon owner and a farmer accused of distributing a sex tape featuring the health minister who was forced to resign last week.

The New Straits Times newspaper quoted police as saying the 29-year-old woman was arrested on Thursday at her salon, where they seized four copies of the footage and a laptop computer.

However, they said she was not the unidentified woman in the video, who was shown having sex in a hotel room with Chua Soi Lek, 61, a married cabinet minister who was engulfed in scandal when the tape was leaked.

The Star newspaper said the 50-year-old farmer was detained on Friday as part of police investigations into the tape, which Chua has said was released by political "enemies".

Bernama today reported that the farmer has been remanded for three days to facilitate investigations into the case. The woman has also been remanded until Monday.

The remand order was issued by the Batu Pahat magistrate's court today, Batu Pahat OCPD ACP Ibrahim Mohd Aris told Bernama. He also said that the farmer had links with the arrested beauty salon owner.

When asked if more arrests would be made after questioning the woman, Ibrahim said it would depend on the progress of investigations.

Who is behind it?

Police are still investigating who made the sex video and how hidden cameras were installed in Chua's suite in a luxury hotel in Johor, state police chief Hussin Ismail was quoted as saying.

"We are investigating how the woman obtained the recordings and who is behind it," he added.

The case is being investigated under Section 292 of the Penal Code for distributing and possessing material containing pornographic elements.

Police have warned that it is an offence to possess the DVD or transfer it to a computer, and that anyone who has a copy should destroy it or surrender it to the authorities.

The sex tape started circulating in southern Johor state last week, and Chua quickly admitted his involvement.