Arrested Blogging.

Malaysian blogger Nathaniel Tan was arrested earlier, supposedly under the Official Secrets Act. His sister Cheryl has updates on the situation, including Nathaniel's condition and a report on a vigil held outside the station he's being held in. Meanwhile, every other blogger in the country can't help but wonder if they've said something remotely seditious in the last couple of, well, decades. Don't even try to deny it.

Things of note:

1) It took the police six hours to confirm that they are holding Nathaniel.

2) Nathaniel is an aide to Tian Chua, more recently known as the moron who sparked off the Najib/Altantuya photo thing.

3) None of the mainstream media outlets have carried the story.

It hasn't been made clear yet what "secrets" Nathaniel's divulged, or if this has anything to do with what Tian Chua pulled.

If Nathaniel isn't the first blogger in the country to be arrested, he's certainly the first in a long time.

Without knowing any details, you have to wonder if this was someone's idea of getting back at Tian Chua, or if Nathaniel is being made an example of to other bloggers. I don't think he'll be tortured as some are saying; too many bloggers have their attention on this, and we are a shrill, oft-hysterical lot.

It sounds as though Nathaniel is handling the situation rather well. I know that if I were in his shoes I'd give my mother up the very nanosecond I see someone bring in a phonebook. Even if it ends up being used to actually make a phonecall.

One thing I found a little amusing was this bit from Cheryl's most recent update:

just in: david said that there was a photographer for the cops who was making extra effort to take pictures of everyone and he even asked whether he ‘dah dapat semua’ etc etc…

Which seems like a pretty silly way to intimidate everyone present. "Aha, we've taken pictures of all of you! Now you're going to go home wondering if you're all next! Psychological warfare, bitches! Bwahahaha!!"

Right.

I wonder if my friends will hold a candlelight vigil if I'd been arrested. Probably not.

You'd think that if the police really wanted to arrest someone who might potentially threaten national security, they'd go after the religious fundamentalists who openly called for the Prime Minister to be replaced "by any means necessary".

Developing.