Arrest warrant out for accused

(NST) PETALING JAYA: The Sessions Court here issued an arrest warrant against Raja Petra Kamarudin when he failed to appear for his sedition trial.

The court had also issued a show-cause notice to Raja Petra's wife, Marina Lee Abdullah, who is his bailor.

The court had fixed two days beginning yesterday for the continuation of the Malaysia Today editor's sedition trial.

Raja Petra, 59, was charged with posting a seditious article titled, "Let's send the Altantuya murderers to hell", on his website.

The alleged offence was committed at his house in Bukit Rahman Putra, Sungai Buloh, on April 25.

The article also implicated Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor in the case.

Yesterday, when the case was called up before judge Rozina Ayob at 9.25am, Raja Petra's lawyer, J. Chandra, said his client was in self-imposed exile and the reasons were posted on his blogsite.

Rozina: Do you expect the court to go through the website?

Chandra: Raja Petra is on a self-imposed exile from the state for reasons that are well known. As such, he can't appear in court today.

Rozina: Do you know the reason? Please highlight them to the court.

Chandra said Raja Petra had posted articles that had angered the Selangor royal family, of which he is a member.

"Going by royal convention, he had considered himself in exile from the state. It has been for a month now."

In his reasons which he had posted at 4.23am, Raja Petra stated that his exile was the result of the hurt he had caused to the Selangor palace.

Rozina then asked if there was any written order.

"I do not know of that. But you have to bear in mind that he is royalty. This is a punishment that he meted out on himself."

Deputy public prosecutor Shahidani Abd Aziz applied for a warrant of arrest to be issued against Raja Petra and a notice of show-cause to his wife.

Rozina granted the application and set May 22 for mention.