Malaysia

(SEAPA/IFEX) – On 17 July 2007, Malaysian authorities released blogger Nathaniel Tan on police bail after his four-day remand expired. However, Tan’s laptop and desktop computer, which were seized during his 13 July arrest on suspicion of breaching Section 8 of the Official Secrets Act (OSA), have not been returned to him. Tan’s mother, Sukumari […]

(SEAPA/IFEX) – A Malaysian blogger has been arrested under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) for comments posted on his blog that pointed to a corrupt internal security system in Malaysia. SEAPA protests the detention of the 26-year-old blogger, Nathaniel Tan, and shares the concerns of the Kuala Lumpur-based Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) that the […]

(SEAPA/IFEX) – SEAPA protests the barring of journalists from an 11 July 2007 public hearing on crime set up by the Parliamentary Caucus on Human Rights. Local reports said the hearing at the city hall of Petaling Jaya was about to start at 8:30 p.m. (local time) with about 200 people in attendance when the […]

(SEAPA/IFEX) – The Malaysian government has warned private broadcasters to refrain from granting coverage to opposition leaders, according to an independent news site in the Kuala Lumpur capital. Online news publication “Malaysiakini” reported on 29 June 2007 that a commission under the Energy, Water and Communications Ministry recently ordered private television and radio stations to […]

(SEAPA/IFEX) – Police in the Sibu district in Sarawak, a Malaysian state on the island of Borneo, have introduced restrictions on media coverage of crime stories, threatening journalists with arrest should they breach the new rules. Journalists were told that police permission must be obtained before a crime story could be written or published. In […]

(SEAPA/IFEX) – Following repeated threats by ministers and members of Parliament over the past three years to control online content, the Malaysian government is setting up a task force to look into how it might apply existing legislation on new media without contravening the country’s Bill of Guarantee against Internet censorship. On 13 June 2007, […]

(SEAPA/IFEX) – The Malaysian government has barred the media from pursuing their own stories about the wedding of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, which will take place on 9 June 2007. The 6 June directive from the Prime Minister’s Office was reported only by independent online news site Malaysiakini ( http://www.malaysiakini.com ) and on the […]

(SEAPA/IFEX) – A state chief minister has followed through on his threat of suing a news site and two opposition politicians after failing to obtain compensation and retraction from them over allegations of corruption on his part, naming an additional news organisation – owned by the dominant ruling political party – in his suits. On […]

(SEAPA/IFEX) – The Malaysian minister for information is considering classifying bloggers as “professional” or “non-professional” in a move to curb libel on the Internet. The suggestion follows a move by the ministry to set up a unit to monitor the Internet and counter “lies and slander” found online. The minister, Zainuddin Maidin, claimed the classification […]

(SEAPA/IFEX) – A top Malaysian politician from the ruling party is threatening to sue an independent web-based daily for publishing articles linking him and his family with corruption. In a letter hand-delivered on 19 April 2007, Abdul Taib Mahmud, the chief minister of the state of Sarawak, issued a 48-hour ultimatum to malaysiakini.com ( http://www. […]

(RSF/IFEX) – Reporters Without Borders has voiced concern about a 4 April 2007 statement by Deputy Minister of Energy, Water and Communications Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor, that in order to prevent the spread of “negative or malicious content,” bloggers will soon have to register with the government. While claiming it does not intend to censor […]

(SEAPA/IFEX) – Two journalists covering a legislative assembly by-election in Malaysia were verbally and physically attacked by supporters and members of the incumbent political party, reports the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), a local free expression group and SEAPA partner. On 3 April 2007, photographer P. Malayandi, 49, of “Makkal Osai” was allegedly pushed and […]

(SEAPA/IFEX) – An official of Malaysia’s Ministry of Internal Security admits he has occasionally contacted newspaper editors to remind them to adhere to provisions in the country’s draconian 1984 Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA). The PPPA gives the internal security minister absolute discretion in granting, refusing, revoking or suspending a publishing license, with no […]

(SEAPA/IFEX) – A major opposition publication in Malaysia was warned that “strict action” would be taken against it should it fail to abide by its permit conditions, according to Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), a SEAPA partner in Malaysia. In a 15 February 2007 letter, the Internal Security Ministry alleged that the 16 to 28 […]

(SEAPA/IFEX) – SEAPA is concerned over a series of actions by Malaysian authorities against broadcast, print and electronic media, which point to increasing intolerance for free expression and differing viewpoints. The National Censorship Board recently banned the film “I don’t want to sleep alone” by award-winning filmmaker Tsai Ming Liang, according to a 27 February […]

(SEAPA/IFEX) – The Malaysian government has banned an independent documentary about the lives of former Malay Muslim members of the now defunct Communist Party of Malaya. In a letter sent to the film’s director, Amir Muhammad, the Malaysian Film Censorship Unit gave seven reasons for its 12 February 2007 decision to ban “Apa Khabar Orang […]