21 January 2003

POLICE RAID INDEPENDENT ONLINE DAILY


The Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) have expressed alarm following news this week that Malaysian police raided the offices of "Malaysiakini," the country's leading online independent newspaper and a frequent critic of the government.

Four of SEAPA's five member organisations are also IFEX members.

On 19 January, police raided "Malaysiakini's" office and confiscated all of its 19 computers, SEAPA reports. The raid came in response to a complaint about an anonymous letter "Malaysiakini" published on 9 January criticising the government's granting of special rights to Malaysia's ethnic Malays.

The letter compared the ruling United Malay National Organisation (UNMO) to the American white supremacy group, Ku Klux Klan, say SEAPA and RSF. The youth wing of the UNMO filed a complaint with police, accusing "Malaysiakini" of sedition and "possibly instilling hatred for the government."

Passed in 1948, Malaysia's Sedition Act prohibits the questioning of ethnic Malays' special status and very broadly defines seditious acts as those that "bring hatred or contempt or excite disaffection against any ruler, the government or the administration of Justice," notes the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH).

"Malaysiakini's" editor-in-chief, Steven Gan, was questioned earlier today for three hours and says the government will likely take legal action against him. RSF says he has been summoned to appear before a court on 22 May. Although Gan says the publication's operations have considerably slowed down since the police raid, donations of computer equipment are beginning to trickle in.

Since its launch in November 1999, "Malaysiakini" has won international acclaim for its reportage in a country where the media are controlled by government associates and subjected to strict laws, RSF says.

Visit these links:

- Malaysiakini:
www.malaysiakini.com


- SEAPA:
www.seapabkk.org/


- RSF:
www.rsf.org


- Human Rights Watch Report on Malaysia's Internal Security Act:
http://hrw.org




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Also from the Communiqué, 21 January 2003

INTERNATIONAL: APPLICATIONS SOUGHT FOR 2003 KURT SCHORK AWARDS 21 January 2003 INTERNATIONAL: JOURNALISTS FORM REGIONAL FREE-EXPRESSION GROUP 21 January 2003 INTERNATIONAL: PEN-NOVIB AWARDS RECOGNISE WRITERS, JOURNALISTS 21 January 2003 INTERNATIONAL: IPI LAUNCHES WEBSITE FOR 2003 CONGRESS 21 January 2003 COLOMBIA: IAPA SENDS PRESS-FREEDOM DELEGATION 21 January 2003 SOMALIA: INDEPENDENT BROADCASTER RAIDED 21 January 2003 IRAN: AUTHORITIES INTENSIFY CRACKDOWN ON FREE EXPRESSION 21 January 2003 VENEZUELA: JOURNALISTS CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE 21 January 2003

Malaysia

IFJ supports proposed electoral reporting reforms 2 February 2012 Political satirist takes government to court over "Cartoon-O-Phobia" 19 January 2012 Authorities urged to allow lawyers' rally to proceed 29 November 2011 Government urged to ensure rights of all citizens to freedom of association, expression 10 November 2011 Broadcast ban placed on video aimed at increasing voter registration 28 September 2011 See all alerts: Malaysia


Asia and Pacific

TIBET (CHINA): PEN American Center concerned over "virtual lockdown" on freedom of expression 9 February 2012 MALDIVES: New government must guarantee safety and rights of journalists 8 February 2012 SRI LANKA: FMM voices concern over allegations in "Dinamina" newspaper article 7 February 2012 INDIA: Danish journalists refused visas 7 February 2012 CHINA: Senior newspaper staff fired for reporting inflation concerns 6 February 2012


 
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