The Kuala Terengganu police this morning arrested five members from PKR's Youth wing, including Terengganu Youth chief Fariz Musa for putting up pictures of a dead Mongolian woman.

According to the wing's national chief Shamsul Iskandar, all five were arrested at about 5.10am for putting up posters of murdered Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu as part of the party's campaign for the upcoming Kuala Terengganu by-election.

Shamsul claimed that their actions prompted the police to arrest them under the Sedition Act and the Printing Presses and Publications Act.

kuala terengganu by election pkr five arrested for altantuya poster 050109with lawyer (right).JPGThe five were then held at the Kuala Terengganu police headquarters for questioning before being taken to the Kuala Terengganu magistrate's court in the afternoon to have their remand extended to four days to facilitate investigation. (Photo: The five with their lawyer, with tie)

Magistrate Aznila Mohd Anas however rejected the prosecutors' application and ordered that it was sufficient for the police to complete their investigation in a day.

Aznila then granted the police a 24-hour remand order. The five must now be released by 5.10am tomorrow.

Remembering Altantuya

Talking to reporters at the court, Fariz explained why the Altantuya posters were put up.

"We want to welcome Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak (to Kuala Terengganu). We want to remind him of the ghost of Altantuya.

kt pkr 5 arrest fariz musa"This case (the murder) has embarrassed Malaysia. The people of Terengganu will not forget Altantuya," he said (photo).

The police also confiscated about 50 posters - pink in colour, had no captions but only the picture of Altantuya - when they arrested the five.

Najib, tasked to spearhead BN's campaign in the upcoming by-election, has been implicated in the murder which took place in October 2006 in which his associate Abdul Razak Baginda was charged and subsequently acquitted.

The deputy prime minister has repeatedly denied any involvement or of ever knowing or meeting the dead Mongolian.

The Kuala Terengganu by-election on Jan 17 will see BN's Wan Ahmad Farid take on PAS' Mohd Abdul Wahid Endut.

Angkatan Keadilan Insan Malaysia vice-president Harun Mohamad is also expected to file in his nomination tomorrow.

Shamsul: Arrest shows Najib is scared

Shamsul blasted the arrests as politically motivated and labelled it as a systematic effort by the police to intimidate PKR party members.

"As far as I am concerned, you cannot categorise the putting up of such posters as a criminal offense. I believe the police have arrested them because Najib is going (to Kuala Terengganu) today.

"Just because of that, the police found it necessary to prevent our party members from putting up the posters.

"This shows that Najib is scared and that it reinforces our belief that he indeed is involved with the murder of Altantuya," said Shamsul when contacted.

Putting up the posters of Altantuya should not be described as sedition and would not stir the public, Shamsul further reasoned.

He demanded the police to give "specific details of the reasons behind the arrests".

Meanwhile, Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar said that the five were suspected of defamation.

"You can't breach the law. If they spread criminal defamation the police should take action. In a democratic system we should act with responsibility," he told a press conference.