KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 — Seputeh MP Teresa Kok arrived at Bukit Aman today to give a statement in connection with an investigation into her comments about halal certification.

According to Sinar Harian, she arrived at the Royal Malaysia Police headquarters at 9:42am and entered the building with her lawyer, Syahredzan Johan, at 9:45am.

Earlier, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain indicated that Kok was there to give her statement to the Special Crimes Investigation D5 unit of the Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department.

Additional witnesses are expected to be called, including representatives from the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim), though their participation will be confirmed later.

On Sunday, Sinar Harian reported that the police have initiated an investigation under Section 298 of the Penal Code, Section 505(b) of the Penal Code, and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

Razarudin said that the standard operating procedure (SOP) for handling cases involving religion, royalty, and race (3R) would be followed once the police report was received.

He added that the investigation stemmed from complaints by individuals and NGOs.

Razarudin also said that while freedom of speech is protected by the Federal Constitution, there are boundaries that must be respected.

Last week, Kok had said that Jakim’s proposal to require restaurants and food companies that do not serve pork or alcohol to obtain halal certification could place additional burdens on businesses, particularly Malay restaurant operators.