ALOR STAR: THE spreading of rumours of racial riots in Sungai Petani, Kedah could harm national security and paint a detrimental image of the country.
In blaming irresponsible bloggers, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said they were setting a dangerous precedent on the Internet.
"There was no such thing (as racial riots), but they had deliberately created rumours of a massive racial clash in Sungai Petani.
"This is very dangerous and a very irresponsible thing to do," he said after attending a special meeting with Kedah civil servants at Universiti Utara Malaysia in Sintok, near here.
Muhyiddin, who was here on a day-long working visit, was asked on postings claiming racial clashes had resulted in the loss of life and the torching of a mosque over the past few days.
He said nobody should condone the actions of such irresponsible bloggers and rumour-mongers.
"The police have confirmed that none of what was posted on the Internet was true. The public should not be unduly worried or afraid."
Kedah police chief Datuk Ahmad Ibrahim said police had detained 36 people to help them investigate the spreading of false news claiming there were racial riots in the state. He said the suspects, aged between 18 and 36, were being held at the Kuala Muda district police headquarters.
"More people will be roped in to facilitate our investigations.
"We will not compromise with anyone or groups which are out to create unrest and public disorder."
Earlier, Muhyiddin praised civil servants for their commitment in helping realise the government's various socio-economic programmes for the people.
He said many milestones reached by the country, including Malaysia's achievement in becoming the world's 10th top nation in attracting foreign direct investments, were made possible by the close cooperation of civil servants.
"The government comes up with policies and programmes and our civil servants help realise them.
"We acknowledge your contributions and sacrifices and all of you have made it possible for us to achieve many programmes for the people," he said to a thunderous applause from the floor, comprising about 4,000 civil servants based in Kedah. Additional reporting by Ili Shazwani
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