Police probe Malaysian opposition members

Malaysian police are probing three opposition members for alleged sedition and slander against the prime minister, amid allegations of a mounting crackdown on dissent.

In recent weeks, police have raided the offices of one of the parties in the Pakatan Rakyat opposition alliance, and arrested more than 160 people for protesting against the government's takeover of northern Perak state.

In the latest move, police questioned the opposition trio, including two lawmakers, over speeches made in the campaign for a by-election in the island state of Penang on Sunday.

"This is definitely another step towards creating a police state. It is clearly an abuse of power," said Lim Kit Siang from the Democratic Action Party, who was one of the lawmakers questioned by police.

"The Perak crisis is broadening into a national crisis of confidence where one government institution after another is suffering from a credibility crisis as they have been made to serve the premier's agenda," he said.

Perak has been in limbo since February when the state's sultan ordered the Pakatan Rakyat to cede its control of the state, which it won in elections last year, after defections disrupted the delicate balance of power.

Lim said he was investigated for his criticisms of Prime Minister Najib Razak over the takeover while the two others were being investigated over that issue as well as comments linking Najib to a sensational murder case.

The duo are from opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's Keadilan party.

Najib has vehemently denied any involvement in the killing of 28-year-old Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibuu, who was murdered in 2006 and whose remains were blown up with military-grade explosives in a jungle clearing.

"I questioned in my speech why Najib does not take action against the foreign media which linked him to the murder as a way to clear his name," Keadilan's Badrul Hisham Shaharin told AFP.

State news agency Bernama quoted police officials Saturday as confirming the trio are under investigation.