Fw: [Fwd: [GILC-plan] FLASH: Malaysia alert (independent Internet daily's offices raided)]

[Lars Weitze <cd@kalkatraz.de>]

From: Canadian Journalists for Free Expression <cjfe@cjfe.org>
To: cjfe@cjfe.org
Subject: [GILC-plan] FLASH: Malaysia alert (independent Internet daily's
offices raided)
Date: 20 Jan 2003 10:53:12 -0500

IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
_________________________________________________________________

ACTION ALERT - MALAYSIA

20 January 2003

Independent Internet daily's offices raided

SOURCE: Thai Journalists Association (TJA), Bangkok

**For information on previous harassment of Malaysiakini, see IFEX alerts of
6 March and 10 January 2001**

(TJA/IFEX) - The following is a 19 January 2003 letter to Malaysian Prime
Minister Mahathir Mohamad by the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), of
which TJA is a member:

January 19, 2002

H.E. Prime Minister of Malaysia Dr Mahathir Mohamad
Pejabat Perdana Menteri Blok A
Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan Putrajaya 62502
Putrajaya  Malaysia.
Phone: 603 8888 8000
Fax: 603 8888 3444
email: ppm@smpke.jpm.my

Dear Excellency,

The Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), the Bangkok-based regional press
advocacy group, condemns the police raid on the office of Malaysiakini,
Malaysia's independent Internet daily, on 19 January 2003.

The noon raid was a grave violation of press freedom. It was totally
unjustified and should be viewed as nothing but a crude attempt to muzzle
Malaysiakini, which for the past three years has been a major source of
unsanctioned news and information about Malaysia.

We have learned that more than ten police officers, two uniformed from Dang
Wangi, raided the office and took away all 19 computers, which the police
believe contain confidential information, including the addresses of letter
writers who had requested confidentiality. No staff was taken into police
custody but Malaysiakini staff members are worried that they will be
interrogated and charged. They could expect the worse if the Internet
daily's operation has to be suspended during the investigation period.

The raid is believed to be linked to the Internet daily's report on January
9, which published a letter from an anonymous reader who was criticizing
Malay rights and likening the youth wing of one of the ruling party's
coalition parties to the white-supremacist Ku Klux Klan in America, "which
was ready to kill other races".

The youth wing group later filed a complaint with police, saying the report
was seditious and that the letter, entitled "Similarities between 'new
Americans' and bumiputera (indigenous people)" contained false accusations
and questioned special rights for Malays, thus possibly instilling hatred
for the government.

SEAPA believes that the raid was unwarranted. Citizens in truly democratic
states should be allowed to comment freely on politics and political
parties. Indeed, the raid is nothing more than the latest in a series of
attempts by Malaysian authorities to curtail free speech and to discourage
Malaysiakini from reporting the facts and provide alternative opinion and
information on Malaysian affairs.

Earlier, Malaysian officials had threatened to amend the Communication Act
to allow authorities to censor Internet content. In the past, they had also
banned Malaysiakini reporters from covering government news conferences.

SEAPA urges Malaysian authorities to apologize for the raid, return the
computers and withhold any legal sanctions against Malaysiakini. Unless they
do so, the country's international reputation would be gravely tarnished.

Respectfully,

Kavi Chongkittavorn
Chair

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Similar appeals can be sent to:

H.E. Prime Minister of Malaysia Dr Mahathir Mohamad
Pejabat Perdana Menteri Blok A
Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan Putrajaya 62502
Putrajaya, Malaysia
Tel: +603 8888 8000
Fax: +603 8888 3444
E-mail: ppm@smpke.jpm.my

Please copy appeals to the source if possible.

For further information, contact the Thai Journalists Association, 538/1
Samsen Rd., Dusit, Bangkok 10300, Thailand, tel: +66 2 668 9422, fax: +66 2
668 7505, e-mail: reporter@inet.co.th, Internet: http://www.tja.or.th, or
SEAPA, 538/1 Sam-Sen Rd. Dusit Bangkok, Thailand 10300, Tel/Fax: +66 2 243
5579, e-mail: seapa@seapabkk.org, Internet: http://www.seapabkk.org

The information contained in this action alert is the sole responsibility of
TJA. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit
TJA.
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