Jeffrey Kitingan and some of his supporters are currently in jail awaiting trial. But their future and the future of their country is uncertain, says the source. "No one knows what's going on over there," he says.

The situation is "nasty," says the source. "Jeffrey is in detention. The federal prosecutor...needs testimony from people in Hong Kong [to strengthen the KL's case]."

The KL government is attempting to build part of its case in the Hong Kong courts. But Kitingan supporters are asking people to testify before the Hong Kong courts and say that the KL case is politically motivated.

Hong Kong does not allow testimony about politically instigated charges on its territory. "The issue now is can enough information be provided to Hong Kong court to show that these are politically motivated charges?" says the source.

The source adds, "If [the government] overthrow[s] PBS by attempts to press charges against major figures of the [local] government and if [it] continue[s] to harass native leaders and the native government personally with threats of the ISA, so that people are unable to speak freely of their opinions, it hearkens a return to a more authoritative regime under the thumbs of the central government."

"It confounds me that there are so few people in America concerned with these human rights violations in Malaysia," the source concludes.