Sunday, September 07, 2014

Sedition axe falls on Malaysian press...

Malaysia’s sedition campaign, which in recent weeks has resulted in charges against eight opposition politicians, apparently has been extended to the country’s independent press, with the arrest on Thursday of Susan Loone, a Penang-based reporter for Malaysiakini (Our Malaysia), one of Malaysia’s most popular news websites.

Loone was told to report to the police in Penang, where she underwent nine hours of questioning and had her cellphone confiscated over the publication of a story on the arrest Sunday in Penang of Phee Boon Poh, the chairperson of a voluntary patrol unit sanctioned by the Democratic Action Party leadership along with 156 members of the patrol unit. Phee is an executive counselor with the DAP. According to Loone’s story, the country’s inspector-general of police, Abu Bakar last Tuesday declared PPS an illegal organization because it wasn’t registered with the Registrar of Societies, calling the organization’s members “gangsters.”

“In a classic case of shooting the messenger, Loone has been detained by police for reporting what somebody else has said,”: according to a statement by Malaysia’s Center for Independent Journalism. “Loone's arrest is the latest in a spate of investigations that are clearly aimed at curtailing legitimate voices of dissent.

The investigations, the CIJ said, “are taking place after the government's stated intention to repeal the Sedition Act, a hangover from the colonial era. The Act is broadly worded and poses a significant threat to the right to freedom of expression enshrined in the Federal Constitution. Further, the history of prosecutions under the Act show that it is almost exclusively used against critics of the government or State institutions.” Full story...

Related posts:
  1. Malaysia and Singapore get low marks for press freedom...
  2. How Asian govts try to strangle the Internet...
  3. Malaysia keeping tabs on "irresponsible" Internet users...
  4. India: Turning back the clock on freedom of expression...
  5. Singapore fell 14 places to a record 149th position in press freedom ranking...

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