RI housewife sues Malaysian minister

RI housewife sues Malaysian minister

KUALA LUMPUR: An Indonesian woman filed a defamation suit against Malaysian Home Minister Azmi Khalid on Thursday, saying he called her husband a criminal and traitor, the national news agency reported.

Romita Hasibuan, 37, a Malaysia resident, is seeking 10 million ringgit (US$2.7 million) from Azmi for allegedly making false statements about her husband that implied he was a criminal, Bernama news agency said.

Hasibuan's spouse, Abdul Mutalib Taib, an Indonesian national and permanent resident of Malaysia, was deported to Indonesia in April on suspected involvement in a syndicate that forged identity cards.

In her lawsuit filed in the Kuala Lumpur High Court, Hasibuan claimed Azmi told her in the lobby of Parliament on July 12 that Taib was "a big-time criminal and a big traitor" and circulated untrue information about him to reporters there, Bernama said.

No hearings were immediately scheduled.

Hasibuan had apparently been meeting with Azmi in Parliament to discuss her family's situation, which she has previously brought to the attention of local human rights groups.

Azmi and his aides could not immediately be reached for comment.

Hasibuan said Azmi shouldn't have made the remarks because Taib, 47, was never tried for any crime. However, he was imprisoned from 1995 to 1997 under a security law allowing detention without trial.

Hasibuan told reporters she has applied to the government not to force her to return to Indonesia when her visa expires this month, as she has four children studying in Malaysia, Bernama said.

"My children are Malaysian citizens," Hasibuan was quoted as saying by Bernama. "They were born (here) and go to school here. If they are sent to Indonesia, they might have difficulty understanding the language there." -- AP