‘No law against bringing in Chin Peng’s ashes, but no burial allowed’
KUALA LUMPUR: There is no law prohibiting anyone from bringing in Communist Party of Malaya leader Chin Peng’s ashes, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
However, action could be taken if a burial or memorial were to be held in Malaysia, he said.
Zahid said there would also not be any special operations to stop the sale of books on Chin Peng.
“I will check the printing laws and talk to the relevant departments. So far, there has not been any ban. We are not that cruel,” he told reporters at the Dewan Rakyat lobby yesterday.
Meanwhile, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said Chin Peng’s remains or ashes would never be allowed to be buried in the country. “This is because he was not a Malaysian citizen.”
Khalid also said that police would take stern action against anyone who tried to revive the banned CPM movement in the country.
Commenting on the arrest of the two men at the Penang International Airport on Tuesday night, Khalid said police seized several CDs and reading materials related to the CPM.
“Bringing such items into the country is strictly prohibited,” he said at a press conference following a meeting with the Armed Forces leadership on the National Blue Ocean Strategy at the Defence Ministry here yesterday.
Armed Forces Chief Jeneral Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin, who was at the meeting, said people should remember the sacrifices of the country’s security forces as well as the victims of CPM brutality.